Finding Heaven in Hell
by Lupa-for-Life
Summary: Remus Lupin has spent his entire life hating what he was but when someone comes into his life who can help him come to terms with his condition... will it be love, or will her past keep him from it?
1. Default Chapter

_**(A/N**) Hello all you happy people. Welcome to my story: Finding Heaven in Hell. Please take note, all you returning readers, that you must re-read all that you have already read to understand the story. I have gone back and fixed more things than i realized there was a problem with. I have also added a few things thati hope will explain some vague plot points and also added a whole new relationship.This is my favorite story so far as Remus is my favorite character. I want desperately for him to be happ and thisfanfic will do exactly that. _

_Thoughts will be bolded and italicesed like this: **'Thought to oneself**' in order to assure they stand out enough._

_I do not own harry potter or anything in this story you recognize._

**This story contains spoilers up to and including "Order of the Phoenix". Seeing asI began the story before the publication of "Half Blood Prince", nothing printed in that book will be aknowledged here.**

* * *

"_Mingled among the sheep _

_there is a wolf,_

_And by his own lonely fangs_

_he is rent"_

_Lament of the Lamb_

* * *

**Alone for Now**

Harry Potter sat alone in his bedroom in Number Four, Privet Drive, gazing at the stars.

His thoughts lately had been dark and ominous, far too often falling back on the death of his godfather; but now, he was content. Not by the means of magic, just the serene quality of a moonlit night.

All else in the house was quiet, the loud thunderings of his cousin Dudley had long since fallen silent. The lack of noise from the T.V. in the parlor downstairs signaled that he was the only one still awake. Everything seemed deathly still and Harry was glad for it.

The twinkling sky that held his attention was perfectly clear. Millions of diamond-esque lights scattered the horizon like so many shards of broken glass.

As Harry glanced at his clock, whose large green numbers cast eerie shadows on the dark walls, creating the twisted image of someone he would rather forget, he noticed something that made him slightly happy: he had been 16 for almost half an hour.

He grinned inwardly relishing the feeling for once. To Harry Potter birthdays were never cause for celebration; having rarely ever gotten a birthday card. His aunt and uncle, hardly acknowledging he was alive in the first place, would let hell freeze over before buying him a proper birthday gift, this year being the exception. No, no, they did not buy him a gift; they gave him something far more precious: Peace and quiet.

That morning his uncle Vernon had locked him in his room without a word, where he was free from Dudley's accursed "diet". The Dursleys had attempted this once before but had failed miserably, only to try once again; when the whole family finally grew disgusted with the boy's many chins (the numbers of which had finally gone into the double digits.)

Harry returned his gaze to the twinkling stars that studded the crystal night sky. Off in the distance, he heard a familiar hooting and Hedwig glided into sight, the moon glinting off her snowy white feathers. Harry moved away from the window so the heavily laden bird could get inside, she landed with a thump on his bed and closed her eyes, hooting softly.

Harry barely had time to remove the packages from Hedwig before two more owls came flying in his window, spastic Pigwigdeon and the other, poor old Errol.

Now having four owls in one's room is hardly something you can keep quiet, Harry was so baffled at the mere fact they were there, that he didn't know what to do with them all. Pigwigdeon, who was pecking at Harry's hands and squawking to be tended to, seemed to be the best choice.

He glanced apologetically at Hedwig as he removed the tiny bird's note. Pig puffed up trying to look as important as the Hogwarts owl who had ruffled its feathers and waited patiently to be attended to, showing Pig how a _real _owl should act.

Harry tossed Ron's letter aside and moved on to Errol, who had passed out on Harry's bed. He lightly shook the owl awake and removed the parcel from its leg. Errol hooted his thanks as Harry moved him to Hedwig's cage where he could get some water. This package he also tossed to the side.

Next Harry moved to the Hogwarts owl that shoved off after a drink, and Harry got back to Hedwig.

The poor owl had nearly collapsed under her load. She had two letters and two small packages, both of which were wrapped in brightly colored paper. Harry stroked her soothingly until she awoke then he helped her into her cage where she could drink and rest. The poor girl was too tired even to be bothered by Pig.

Once all the owls were tended to, Harry gawked at the pile of parcels that signaled his friend's recognition of his birthday. He picked up one of the letters addressed to him and tenderly ran his fingers over the fine cursive handwriting that spelled out his name.

**'_Hermione_' **

He smiled to himself as he opened the letter, eager to see what she had written. He always loved her little notes.

_Dearest Harry,_

_How are you doing? I hope your summer is going better than mine. I've been positively miserable without you and Ron for company. Don't know how I ever got on without you. - _

Harry blushed then continued reading...

_-My mum and dad took me to Australia on vacation but I didn't really have that much fun. I bet you can guess why..._

_On a lighter subject, I am back in London and staying with Ron at the Burrow, we all want to see you. I hope you are up for a visit! _

_Please come, _

_Love_

_Hermione_

_P.S. Happy Birthday, hope you like your gift... I wish I could have gotten you more..._

Harry read her letter several times over; it was quite short for Hermione, but he appreciated it all the same.

He grabbed her brightly wrapped present and began ripping the paper off like something wild. His breath caught in his throat when he saw what it was...He turned the parcel over in his hands... _Swidditch _It appeared to be a small version of the Quidditch he loved from Hogwarts. Small versions of the players were wrapped inside the small box. He turned it around to read the writing on the back.

_Swidditch: A one/two player game where you can test your wits at Quidditch with this life-like miniature version of the game. Or you can go head-to-head with the game itself, letting the players play against you on their own. _

_From the makers of Wizards Chess_

Harry sat back admiring his treasure, and his hand landed on Ron's forgotten presents. Harry scolded himself for forgetting and picked up his friends letter, somehow managing to drag his attention away from the miniature Quidditch set:

_Harry,_

_HEY! Happy birthday, mate! Hope the Dursley's are treating you alright. Whatever is going on over there HAS to be better than the ruckus over here. Mum is still FURIOUS with Fred and George for quitting school and starting their joke shop. Not to mention the little... er... surprises they leave lying around where she can get her hands on them. I thought she was going to KILL the both of them when she caught George slipping some Veritaserum candies in Percy's breakfast. Not to mention how she rounded on me when I laughed about it._

_Other than that, the two of them made me send you some for your birthday... I wouldn't trust them, myself, but you can test them on your ruddy cousin!_

_Oh, and Hermione is over here. Ginny has been wanting some company, but she says it isn't right without you. Send word with Errol or Pig when you get this. Hermy said she might try to call in case you don't get the chance to answer._

_Happy Birthday!_

_Ron_

Harry regarded the box of colorful candies with a worried expression on his face. He dared not try any of them. But the thought of giving some to Dudley did in fact sound appetizing.

Harry put Ron's card on his dresser with Hermione's and started over to what was undoubtedly something from Hagrid.

With something close to fear, Harry picked up the last card noticing how quiet the present from him was. Indeed, it was not snarling or moving... but Harry decided it best to read the card first anyways.

As Harry read his name off the top of the envelope, noting that it was far from Hagrid's untidy scrawl... in fact, in was very neat.

Anxious and more than a little curious, Harry ripped open his last birthday card and read the letter:

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm sure you weren't expecting a letter from me. But I got your address from Dumbledore so I could wish you a happy birthday! _

_I'm currently staying at the Leaky Cauldron and trying to have some fun in Diagon Alley. I hope I get a chance to see you when you come to get your stuff for Hogwarts do try and look for me!_

_As for you gift... I'm afraid it isn't much. They are called Friendship Rings kind of like the ones muggles have; but these will tell you when your friends are in danger or in any great need of you. Sirius, James and I used to wear them. I've heard what you and your "2nd generation Marauders" have gotten yourselves into. Perhaps they will be useful. _

_I hope you have been in better spirits than I,_

_Remus Lupin_

Harry was in mild disbelief, with attentive fingers he reached for the tiny box that had accompanied Lupin's letter. He opened it as if it were made of glass. Indeed, inside were three small rings, made of a clear crystal material that went slightly misty when he put it on. Harry watched in awe as the ring magically morphed to fit his finger perfectly. He smiled as thoughts of his father came into his mind, and put the other two back in the tiny box until he could get them to Ron and Hermione.

A light breeze blew through the open window, slightly ruffling Harry's already messy hair, and he yawned and stretched, finally feeling the lateness of the hour.

Harry strode hazily over to his bead, suddenly very tired and collapsed into its warm sheets and heavy blanket. As his vision blurred and the warm darkness of sleep overcame him, he remembered thinking one thing, ... '_I wonder who will be this year's DADA teacher?'_

* * *

(A Few Weeks Earlier) 

"Honestly, Remus." Dumbledore waved the tired wolf off. "You of all people know how much the children loved your classes!"

Remus blushed and took another sip of his brandy, trying to hide his reddening face.

"But Dumbledore,"

"Don't you 'but Dumbledore' me, Remus. What is your _real_ reason for not accepting my offer?"

Remus seemed to consider for a moment just going back. Hogwarts was more of a home to him than any place he had lived before. It would be a welcome change to be back around people who knew him. More importantly, to be back around those who would trust and respect him, that would be more important to him than anyone knew.

Then, if he was back in Hogwarts, he could be back around Harry; James' son. Watching that boy relive the Marauders' lives was one of his secret thrills. One of his only secret thrills, for that matter.

Lupin glanced around the bar, the hustle and bustle of the Leaky Cauldron went on as usual; various sorts of strange witches and wizards coming in and out, laughing and talking in raised voices generally having found some joy in the growingly bleak world around them.

"Dumbledore, I'm a werewolf! Parents will have a field day with you for letting me back on. What if it happens again? I can't be trusted, Albus, I'm dangerous!" Remus's voice seemed to plead for the understanding the old man would not yield.

Dumbledore didn't even try to stifle his laughter. Remus stared at him, clearly not seeing what was so funny about what he had said. He had almost severely hurt several students. Wasn't that counted as being dangerous?

"_You?"_ He wiped a tear away from his twinkling blue eyes, "You, my dear boy, are far from dangerous. We will simply have to be more careful this time." Dumbledore said it like he already had something in mind.

Remus was about to reply with some sort of pleading retort, but it died on his tongue when the door to the bar opened. The soft tinkling of the bell sounded again as the door was closed behind her. Though he had his back to the door, his nose was everywhere, and whatever had just walked in that door had ahold of every sense in Remus' arsenal; except his eyes.

Remus went rigid and very still, barely aware of what was happening as Dumbledore called the someone from behind him to come and sit at their table. If he had been in his wolf form, every hair on his body would be sticking straight up.

Lupin's werewolf senses seemed to have gone into overdrive, the scent of soft perfume filled his nose. Though his back remained turned to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron, he could somehow _feel_ her approaching. Yet that didn't quiet the surprise lurch in his stomach when she sat at their booth, right next to him.

His eyes involuntarily trailed along her slim form and he gulped when he met her gaze, she had noticed him looking at her. He caught his breath and scooted away from her a few inches. Something in her deep green eyes seemed hauntingly familiar. Not familiar in a way like he thought he may have seen her before, he would never forget someone like her, but familiar in a way like he felt he _should _know her. Like there was just something about her he… recognized.

She smiled and said something to him but he had gone momentarily deaf to anything but the pounding of his heart. Her lips moved but no sound reached his ears. Remus couldn't ever remember being this overpowered by one woman. All those all-nighters with Sirius had built him up quite a resistance.

"Remus?"

Lupin whipped his head around to face Dumbledore trying desperately to recover. "Y-yes?" he choked out. The woman chuckled softly and signaled for the barkeep to bring her a drink.

The old man smiled and repeated his previous statement.

"This is Kairi Faye; she has agreed to take Hagrid's position as Care of Magical Creatures for the duration of this term." Dumbledore had a sparkle to his gaze that told Remus that Ms. Faye wasn't the only one who had noticed his gaze and following discomfort.

He turned to Kairi who in turn smiled and assured him that she wouldn't bite... _**Not too hard'** _Kairi thought to herself, smiling and shaking Professor Lupin's extended hand.

All of a sudden Lupin did a double take, just registering what Dumbledore had said about Hagrid and his position. Did he really just say that this woman would be taking Hagrid's position?

"Hagrid's position?" He asked. Dumbledore nodded. For a moment Remus was shocked. Hundreds of possibilities flew through his mind; most of them included something vile and named Lucius Malfoy. But surely Dumbledore would not have allowed...

"No, no, I haven't fired him. Hagrid has requested the year off, so I have asked Ms. Faye here to fill the position." Dumbledore said it with a finality that told Remus not to question Hagrid's reasons. So he held his tongue.

"Just for this year." Kairi restated. Remus looked at her again as she spoke, still trying to find what was so intense and familiar about her.

She looked nervously down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. Thankfully that was the moment the barkeep chose to send her a small bottle of firewhiskey. She dug a few sickles out of the pocket of her sapphire robes and took a long drink. Her nerves were shot, though not for any reason anyone here knew about.

"Well, Ms. Faye, let's get back to the introductions: This is Professor Remus Lupin, Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and your colleague, " Dumbledore watched as the two shook hands and exchanged wary salutations. Dumbledore smiled to himself when Lupin didn't bother to correct the statement about his position this time.

Kairi yawned deeply taking another long drink from her smoking bottle. "I'm terribly sorry gentlemen but it has been a long journey on the Knight Bus." She shuddered, both men nodded knowingly, "I'll be staying here though if I'm needed, Albus."

Dumbledore grinned, "So Professor Lupin, I dare say you will show her around Diagon Alley?"

Lupin nearly choked in his drink sputtering to cover for his uncalled for reaction to Dumbledore's suggestion and turned his blushing face only to see-

"Calm down, Remus, she already went to reserve a room."

Lupin's face went, if possible, even redder.

"So, my dear boy, have you decided to rejoin the teaching world?"

Remus closed his eyes, still trying to put his finger on what he found so familiar about that woman. He opened them with a sigh, "I go where I am needed, Albus."

Dumbledore followed the young werewolf's gaze to the staircase Kairi had disappeared along. He had a feeling there were some ulterior motives to Remus' giving in so easily.

"Indeed."

* * *

Kairi Faye looked approvingly around her room. Her very soft looking four poster bed seemed to call out to her tired bones. Every fiber of her being wanted to give in... 

"I need a shower..." she glanced at her suitcase and frowned. If she was going to be here until the start of term, she would definitely need to unpack. It seemed like such a tedious chore.

Her hands fell on the smooth leather and she traced her initials and the cold metal clasps.

"I can do it in the morning."

Without warning Kairi's thoughts found themselves on the young man she had just met, what did Dumbledore say his name was? Remus?

She smiled, fumbling into the bathroom where with a flick of her wand she lit the many candles lining the room.

'_Have I met him before?' _She wondered as she turned the water on preparing for a steamy shower_. 'No, I would remember his face, something about him though...' _She tested the water to make sure it was perfect before stepping inside.

She let the hot water massage her back like so many expert hands, until some of the tension had eased out of her tired shoulders. The flickering candlelight the illuminated her bathroom was easy on her eyes, but made her more tired than she realized she was.

Finally when she felt relaxed enough to get a good night's sleep, she turned off the water and stepped out into to now completely fog filled bathroom. The air was so thick with the combination of unrelenting steam and smell of her shampoo, the bathroom could have given a rainforest a run for its money.

Kairi walked dripping into the main room of her apartment where she fumbled in her suitcase for a clean dry towel. No sooner had she wrapped one around herself, than there was a knock at the door. She sighed,

"Of course..." Kairi ignored it and started digging for her toothbrush.

The knock sounded again, more loudly this time.

"Just a minute!" Kairi groaned and made sure her towel was secure before trudging to tell off room service... or what she assumed was room service.

She wrenched the door open, landing herself eye to eye with a very embarrassed Remus J. Lupin.

Remus choked and sputtered for a minute, obviously completely taken off guard by her flattering ensemble. But not only that, it was the scent of her hitting him full in the face with the force of a locomotive that had his breath catching in his throat.

She smiled and leaned against the doorframe watching as the poor man fumbled with the words he so uncharacteristically couldn't find.

"Dumbledore..." he finally coughed out, focusing on his shoes, which had apparently become very interesting, "Wanted to give you this, you need to pick out the text book for your class this year." He handed her a large envelope.

"Textbook?" She accepted the thick envelope and began clawing it open.

"Y-Yes," he began with renewed vigor. "You must have a textbook for your class. Unfortunately it is required." He choked out a laugh, trying to regain his composure.

"Required, huh?" Kairi looked down at the paper in disgust. "I don't need one for my class. Not everything can be learned from a textbook."

He nodded in agreement. His confidence returning as the conversation steered him away from her towel and dripping...

"But, some people crave more than can be learned in the field." he was of course talking about Hermione Granger: the cleverest witch of her year. He had never lost respect for her since the year she kept his secret.

"Oh really?" Kairi looked up from the parchment in her hands to gaze at him questioningly.

Remus shifted his position uncomfortably and suddenly wished the conversation to be over.

"Well, all I have to do is pick one of these books?" Kairi could smell the uneasiness in the poor guy and offered him a window to escape.

"Yes ma'am.Then owl that to Dumbledore so he can get the Hogwarts letters to the students." He started to walk off, but she called to him and he turned slowly to meet her eyes.

"There is no need Remus, I have already decided." She walked out of her doorway and handed him the parchment. "_Befriending the Beast_' should be perfect."

Remus smiled at her and said he would try to catch Dumbledore before he left.

Kairi's eyes never left Lupin's back as he jogged off down the hallway and out of sight.

She walked back into her room and locked the door behind her with an added magical seal. The walls glowed a pale green, pulsed three times and faded, signaling the charm had worked. She crossed the plush Persian rug that covered most of the cold hardwood floors and drug her attention to the lonely suitcase occupying her bed.

Using her wand, she magiked the place into one resembling her old room, her room from her childhood home. She sighed, walkingover to the only window available and leaned onto her elbowsto look at the moon.

_'Three days.' _

The waxing moon looked so innocent up in the sky; it slunk in and out of the clouds as if trying to avoid Kairi's piercing stare.

She shook the thought from her mind and crawled into her warm bed, the long hours of traveling finally having caught up with her; she fell soundlessly into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

_**(A/N) **Okay, first things first, there are some major foreshadowing things in this chapter (some are very subtle) but i must request, and this will be the only warning, that if you figure something out and would like to guess at it or are making some other assumption of the like: please DO NOT POST THEM IN YOUR REVIEW! Send me an email. I like to know that some people are picking them up, but for those who are not, it is very rude. _

_Also big hugs to my beta reader: Rin-Chan. You rock girl._


	2. A Welcome Change

**_(A/N) Chapter two!_**

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Chapter Two: A Welcome Change

_The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances, if there is any reaction, both are transformed. C. G. Jung

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_

Harry felt a soft breeze drift over his cheek. His eyes opened slowly, eyelids thick with sleep, to gaze at the beautiful creature sitting on his chest.

It must have been an angel, her hair lifted and fell with the breeze, soft russet curls that glowed slightly from the rising sun behind her, giving the angel the image of a halo.

The tranquility he felt all day yesterday was reflected in her chocolate eyes.

The angel smiled as she extended her hand to touch his cheek. Her beautiful wings spread out as if to protect him from something. It was then that Harry noticed who she looked like... it was... it was...

Harry sat bolt upright in his bed, flinging poor unsuspecting Hedwig across the room.

She hooted angrily and flew to the window, which he had left opened last night, clicking her beak angrily.

Harry ran a hand through his already impossibly disheveled hair and tried to remember what he had dreamt about, but the fog of awakening so soon had completely blocked her face from his mind. The only thing it left behind was that same feeling of happiness, something Harry thought he would never feel again.

He yawned and stretched, reaching for his glasses when he remembered Ron's invitation to come to the Burrow, and thought nothing would make him happier.

Harry flew out of bed and threw some of Dudley's old baggy pants and a t-shirt on that were several sizes too large for him.

He tried the doorknob, it was unlocked.

"That's funny..." he said aloud to himself, "I don't remember Uncle Vernon ever unlocking the door." but that was soon forgotten when the screaming voice of his whale sized cousin reached his ears, followed closely by the sound of breaking glass.

Harry opened the door to his bedroom and waltzed downstairs to the living room where His aunt, uncle and the infamous Duddiekins were arguing about something Dudley wanted, and wasn't allowed to have.

Harry walked into the kitchen without giving the growingly humorous scene a wayward glance.

He sighed when he saw the sliced celery and grapefruit quarters that spelled out breakfast for Dudley's diet.

Harry opened the refrigerator having decided to forego the unappealing sustenance and just drink some good old fashioned orange juice. He poured himself a tall glass.

"But Mum, I am tired of this bloody rabbit food!" Dudley bellowed from somewhere in the living room.

Harry chuckled and carried his glass into the doorway where he was a safe distance from Dudley's tantrum but still close enough to watch the fun unfold.

"But... Duddiekins-" Aunt Petunia cooed soothingly, her eyes pleading with Vernon to stop this nonsense.

"I want real food! I'm withering away!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh at that one. Dudley was far from withered. He swung his smeltings stick around wildly in his pudgy fist.

Vernon shook with anger, his face purple and a familiar vein forming in his forehead.

"So, eh, Ron invited me over for the rest of the summer." Harry watched as a vase flew across the room and shattered on the wall. Petunia winced; she hated to see her perfectly clean house tarnished.

No one had even heard him speak, but he continued anyways.

"Well, they invited me over so im going to pack and be off later today if that's alright." Harry waited for an answer he knew he wouldn't get, but he would pretend to have so Ron's mother, Molly, would sleep easier at night.

"So it's okay then?" Petunia threw her hands up in defeat and told Dudley they would take him to Burger King if he would calm down. Which he did so instantly it was like flicking a switch. He sat down on the sofa which Harry could swear he heard crying in protest.

"Right well I'll see you all next summer." Harry went back up into his room and began packing his things into his large trunk. He noticed that both Errol and Pig had left sometime that night.

Harry didn't worry of course because he knew the owls were more than capable of finding their way home. So he gathered Hedwig into her cage and drug his loaded trunk down the staircase. He was on his way out the door; in fact when the telephone rang, it was Hermione.

"Oh, Hello Harry! So are you going to be able to come see us?"

Harry gazed over at his Uncle Vernon who was clapping the enormous Dudley on the shoulder for his unwavering love for meat. Harry shook his head.

"Of course, but I'll meet you guys at the Leaky Cauldron, 'kay?" Harry hoped she wouldn't ask how he was getting there; Mrs. Weasley would have a fit if she knew what he had in mind.

Harry heard Hermione talking to someone in the background, then she came back sounding excited. "They say sure Harry. When do you expect to be there?"

Harry thought for a moment. He really didn't know.

"I'm not sure. I'll just come on down whenever. It's not like you'll bore to death if you have to wait for me." Harry didn't bother to mention Remus would be there.

"Right, silly me, see you there." She hung up the phone and so did Harry.

When he turned around, everyone was staring at him.

"Right, well... see you guys next summer," and he walked out of the house, all the way feeling their astonished eyes burn into the back of his head until he disappeared around the corner.

When he thought he was a safe enough distance from his aunt and uncle's house, he opened his trunk and pulled out his wand.

He stood up and looked around... the only people there were a mother, her son and their... their... _shaggy black dog_.

Harry felt tears well up in his eyes as he watched them play together. The enormous dog would wag his tail as it and the boy played their own little game of tag, and the dog seemed to be letting the boy win.

The boy stopped and threw a stick for the dog to fetch. A stick which landed a few feet from Harry's feet. Harry suddenly wanted to disappear as the shaggy black dog came bounding up to the stick. It stopped and looked at Harry, then approached him wagging his tail as if to say "Pet me?" Which Harry complied with marvelously.

The dog gazed happily at him through watery yellow eyes, its tail thumping on the ground while Harry scratched it behind the ears.

The boy came running wondering where his playmate had run off to.

"Scooter?" he called.

The dog jumped up and grabbed the stick then bounded off to his boy.

Harry was terribly sad to see him go; it was like being reunited with...with...

He sat there for a while watching them play before he couldn't take it anymore, he had to get out of there before all the memories he had tried to suppress came flooding back.

Harry stuck out the thumb on his wand hand and shut his eyes.

Right on cue the shockingly purple triple-decker Knight Bus came banging into view.

"OH! 'Ello Neville!" Stan Shunpike poked his head off the bus and started to help Harry with his things.

"Oi, 'Erni! It's Neville! You 'member ol' Neville don't 'cha?"

Ernie looked over his large thick glasses and tried to focus on Harry.

"You silly prat, that's Harry Potter. Don't you remember that funny old Cornelius Fudge called him that?" Ernie certainly had a good memory for an old man.

"Oh...'ats right. So why did you lie abou' your name, Neville...uh...I mean Harry."

Harry and Stan heaved his trunk up into the bus and Harry chose a seat, retrieving eleven sickles from his trunk.

"Sorry guys, I'd love to chat... but I'm terribly tired... just wake me when we get to the Leaky Cauldron."

Stan nodded, "'Ear that Ernie? Leaky Cauldron."

Ernie Prang nodded and threw the giant bus into motion.

Harry knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, but he wasn't in the mood to chat right now either. He flopped down on his bed and tried to get comfy, which was difficult considering the bus kept flying all around the road stopping and starting and screeching.

Harry sighed, but realized he was at least going to the Burrow, meaning he wouldn't have to see the Dursley's until _next year!_

That thought alone wasn't enough to get that big black dog out of his mind. The image of Sirius falling through the veil, the fact that he was gone... it all started to pull him into that depression he had fought so hard to stay out of. It was like ice gripping his heart. A single tear slid down his cheek and Harry wiped it away before Stan could see, some things are better left unsaid.

Harry reached into his trunk and pulled out that old photo album looking for a picture of his parents on their wedding day. He stared at the smiling faces of his parents and guardian.

"Excuse me?" A small voice shook him out of his stupor. "I'm sorry, but, are you Harry Potter?"

Harry looked up from his album into the bright blue eyes of a little girl.

He wiped his eyes and nodded.

The small child squealed with glee and shoved a card in his hands. It was a chocolate frog card… with his picture on it.

"Will you sign this please?" she gave what must have been the most pathetic pleading puppy-eyed look he had ever seen and Harry felt sorry for her parents. He took a quill she was handing him and scribbled his name out on the card, which apparently tickled the Card-Harry because it doubled over in a fit of laughter.

"Thank you so much!" and she practically danced over to her mother's lap, where she landed with an 'oomph' on the seat beside her.

"'Arry? Eh 'Arry, Leaky Cauldron... we're here!" Stan announced.

Stan helped Harry get his things off the bus and onto the sidewalk of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Feels good to be back in the wizarding world." he said to himself, and hauled his trunk inside.

* * *

Remus sat up in his bed and stretched his tired muscles. He was feeling the presence of the moon even now while the sun penetrated the curtains surrounding his four-poster bed.

Remus swung his feet around and placed them on the cold hardwood floor. He sniffed the air.

"Come In" he called, even before the girl had a chance to knock.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked rolling in a cart filled with his breakfast.

Remus blushed, "I-uh-could smell the cart," he wasn't lying, but he would leave out that he could smell it from down the hallway. He silently cursed his overactive senses and thanked the girl.

She smiled and walked out.

Remus picked absently at his breakfast for a little while. He had always been good at depriving himself of food when he really needed it. Except for a few choice pieces of bacon, he didn't eat anything. He reached for the goblet that was smoking slightly.

"Good old Snape." he choked down his wolfsbane and gagged. "I'm still willing to bet he makes it so disgusting just for me." Remus chuckled and pushed the remaining food on the cart out into the hallway for the girl to collect later.

He rummaged through his trunk and pulled out his old robes.

Down the hallway, Kairi had also awakened, but she was famished. The smell of her breakfast had her in the hallway practically jumping on the poor serving girl. After she had devoured all the food on the cart and chugged her pumpkin juice, she ran downstairs eager for a day in Diagon Alley.

Kairi looked around the bar, she watched as two witches went through a back door into an alley. She followed them as nonchalantly as she could. Kairi had never been in Diagon Alley before and had no idea how to get there. So she figured she would see how others did it. But when she poked her head into the alley... the two witches were gone.

"Um..." Kairi tapped on the wall with her finger and a perplexed look. "Open sesame?" the wall didn't move.

"Gee... of course _that_ wouldn't work." She knocked on the wall harder trying to think of how to open the wall without making it further obvious how oblivious she was.

"Hello? Anybody home?" There was no answer.

Kairi stomped her foot, "Oh, spite! How do I make the dammed thing open?"

Elsewhere Remus had just stumbled sleepily downstairs, mumbling his good mornings to the few who passed him.

"How can anyone be so cheerful _this_ early?" He grumbled at the smiling faces of two elderly women sitting at the table nearest him.

He tipped an invisible hat and proceeded towards the bar. He didn't even take three full steps before he stubbed his toes on that very same table. Cursing loudly, Remus started jumping around on his good foot. The two elderly women laughed out loud at his misfortune and Remus would have given anything to be able to whip his wand out and hex them into next Tuesday. Remus leaned against a wall for support, his fingers touched paper.

Without thinking Remus looked into the eyes of Sirius Black's wanted poster.

The Leaky Cauldron still had them plastered all over the walls to remind everyone of the ministries success at catching the horrid man.

Remus ripped the poster off the wall and crumpled it into a ball. He nearly shook with rage with thought of the ministry and what they had done to his former best friend's name.

Remus needed to get outside, he needed fresh air before he did something stupid. His emotions always got a little wonky this close to the full moon. He seemed to loose a fraction more control with every day.

He out his head down and walked through the door that lead to the entrance of Diagon Alley.

The sight that met his eyes almost made Remus double over in laughter.

The woman he had met last night, Kairi Faye, was leaning over a trash can looking for the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley. She fumbled, cursed, and stood back up.

She stood there puzzled while Remus watched her look over the wall.

"I don't get it Remus." she said, her back still to him. "How do I get in?"

He blanched, feeling like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have, but recovered quickly. "It's really quite simple." he pulled out his wand and tapped the third brick from the left.

_'How did she know I was there?'_ he thought to himself while she blinked furiously at the doorway between the Leaky Cauldron and one of the only fully wizarding cities left.

"That's amazing." She ran through the archway as it rematerialized behind them. "Thank you, Remus," she smiled and started towards the magic of the city.

She stopped and turned to him, "Um... Remus? Could you do me a huge favor?"

"What?"

"You see... I need to make a withdrawal from Gringotts... and I'm terrified of the goblins."

Remus stood there waiting for what exactly she wanted him to do.

"Um..." Kairi turned a very deep shade of red, "Could you maybe go with me for moral support?"

Remus' jaw dropped and he waited for her to be serious. When she didn't he practically started rolling.

"You're _scared?"_ Remus burst into laughter while Kairi blushed crimson.

"Shut up before I hex you!" She turned and walked off leaving him to laugh at her alone.

"No, wait, I'm sorry. I'll go with you." he chuckled and ran to catch up with her.

Kairi looked at her feet, "Thank you."

Remus chuckled "Are you really afraid of the goblins?"

She blushed. "Well they _are_ scary. Everyone has their little irrational fears."

He covered his mouth to stifle more laughter, "Yeah, sure they are..."

Kairi glared at him, and then her eyes lit up.

Remus turned to follow her gaze and found it on a new racing broom in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Kairi walked over to the window pressing her nose to it like the small children all around her.

_The Avalanche _

It gleamed slivery blue with the name engraved in black on its handle. Kairi read the card while Remus, his curiosity peaked, went to have a look as well, he read it aloud from over her shoulder.

_The Avalanche-_

_Part Two of the Element series. Far superior to its Firebolt brother, the Avalanche will take the world by storm with its better than perfect handling and speed that brings a tear of joy to your eyes. _

_The Avalance's handle is made from willow trees enchanted with the magic from a unicorns horn, each twig in the Avalanche's tail is hand crafted to be aerodynamically perfect._

_The Avalanche has an acceleration of 300 miles per hour in 10 seconds._

_Price on Request_

Kairi stood back and seemed to be doing some serious math in her head.

Remus looked at her quizzically. "You aren't seriously thinking about buying that thing are you?"

She started including her fingers in her math work, scrunching her brow up in concentration.

"Well... why not?" she put her hands on her hips matter-of-factly.

He shook his head. "Honestly, woman, what would you do with that broom?"

She looked at her feet. Realizing teachers aren't exactly allowed on the teams she sighed, "You're right, Remus." she took one last look at the broom and returned to her quest for Gringotts.

Remus watched her in amazement as she darted back and forth from shop window to shop window, laughing and smiling until he had to join her fun.

Her smile was contagious, she radiated happiness, his anger at the poster and even the closing night of the full moon was forgotten.

Before he knew it, Remus had led the two of them to Gringotts and true to his word, he went inside with her. She cringed in fear and clung to the sleeve of his robes when they reached the main desk.

A particularly nasty goblin peered over the desk at them. "What can I do for you?"

Kairi shuddered and buried her face in Remus's robes. He laughed.

"We would like to make a withdrawal from Ms. Kairi Faye's vault."

"Do you have the key?" The goblin sneered at them. Remus was suddenly aware of something in the palm of his hand.

He handed the goblin the key who looked it over carefully.

"Everything seems to be in order...GRIPHOOK!"

The tiny Griphook, which was yet another goblin, led them through a heavy oak door to a cold narrow stone passageway.

The goblin whistled and a small railway car came speeding towards them. Kairi still had not taken her face from his sleeve so he had to carefully lead her into the cart and adjust himself next to her. She started to tremble as Griphook announced their destination.

"Vault 437."

With blinding speed they ripped through the tunnels and passageways, Kairi never looked up once. They sped into the depths of the earth whizzing past countless doors and slinking in and out of numerous corridors that twisted and turned in a way that reminded him of the elaborate labyrinths he often read about. Kairi began trembling; she was clutching his arm so tightly he feared she would soon be cutting off circulation.

He stroked her back reassuringly and she seemed to calm down a little.

"Vault 437." The trolley slowed to a stop and Griphook clambered out followed by Remus who somehow still had Kairi leached to his side.

"Key please," it squeaked

Remus handed Griphook Kairi's key. He took it in his tiny clawed hands and proceeded to open the lock.

Kairi didn't open her eyes until she felt the goblin step behind her.

Remus watched in awe as the woman went into her vault and filled her money sack and pockets with what looked like enough gold two buy several Avalanches. But he said nothing about her wealth, just stubbed his foot on the cold stone floor and waited until she emerged from the room, closing the door behind her.

The goblin removed her key from the vault door and handed it to her.

Kairi looked at it in disgust, but, not wanting to be rude, she took the key and pocketed it shuddering then practically fled to the cart.

The goblin and Remus exchanged looks that simply screamed "_Women_"

Remus shook his head and climbed into the cart next to her as they took off again for the main floor.

On the ride back Kairi seemed more curious to her surroundings than his sleeve which he was glad for, but he kind of missed that feeling of being needed.

Griphook bid them farewell and Kairi dragged poor Remus through the huge doors and back into the sanctity of Diagon Alley.

"See that wasn't so bad." Remus tried patting her shoulders.

Kairi hugged herself and shook violently. "Easy for you to say, Remus."

"What do you mean? You kept your face hidden the whole time."

She blushed then grinned mischievously.

"W-what?" he had the strongest urge to run for the hills.

"I need to reward myself for surviving that terrible nightmare, and you're coming with me," she grabbed his sleeve.

"Where are we going now?" he knew deep in his heart, he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Shopping of course."

* * *

_**(A/N) **I know it was blatantly obvious who Harry was dreaming about in the begining. If you didn't catch it, go back and re-read it. I have faith in all of you. Second of all, Kairi is a bit hyper right now. I assure you her character is not really like this. She is just excited for her first time in Diagon Alley. (And rightfull so). She will calm down in a few chapters._


	3. Learning To Live

**_A/N: _**There is some slightly adult content in this chapter. In the begining it is very subtle and perhaps not entirely noticible. I deem it safe, but i felt i needed a warning so no one gets thsir panties in a bunch and throws stones at me.

_

* * *

_

_Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope... which is what I do, and that allows you to laugh at life's realities._

_-Dr. Seuss_

**Chapter Three**

**Learning To Live

* * *

**

Kairi dragged Remus nonchalantly down Diagon Alley with what could only be described as an evil grin. This woman was about as frivolous and random as those silly first and second years that could not seem to go to the bathroom without a mob of their friends to escort them.

The last thing he wanted right that moment was to be in a building packed with other witches and wizards and a crazed female that held a pilfered key to his libido. This close to the full moon his senses were already running on overdrive. **_Stupid moon._**

"No, Kairi wait. I don't shop." Remus was beginning to slightly panic while Kairi relentlessly dragged him through the doors of some nameless department store.

"Don't be silly, Remus, _you_ won't be shopping... _I_ will. You are just along for the fun. I need a big strong man to carry my bags." She grinned at him from ear to ear. For a moment Remus thought the woman had gone mad. Not five minutes ago she was clutching to his arm in terror from a silly little goblin and now she was in a frenzy and wanting to spend her money.

Then again maybe he just didn't understand women after all. At least this was a nice change from the tension that had plagued the air between the two of them all day yesterday.

Remus groaned as she pulled him through section after section until she seemed to have found something that interested her, clothes, shock and surprise, the woman just endured terror beyond her mortal imagination, her prescription drug of choice: shopping. Take two twice a day with lots of alcohol and bring a male.

Remus stood back, crossed his arms over his chest, pulling the standard guy scene, and watched as she rummaged through rack after rack for things to try on. He would smile when her eyes lit up on something she happened to like then she would stand back with a different whatever elegant dress robes she had discovered and hold it up to her thin form.

"What do you think," she would ask, batting her eyelashes and trying to look as adorable as possible to sell the outfit. He obviously couldn't tell her she would look better in _nothing_ so he replied to every garment with a fake lack of interest. A ruse that, if she cared to look, would be very easily spotted.

Nonetheless, to every faux lack of interest shown on his part, she would sigh cutely and rummage further for more dresses and robes to try on… or rather hold up against herself.

Remus couldn't stand still. His werewolf senses were running on overdrive with it being this close to the full moon, and this girl was not helping. He hoped his reaction to her was just from a lack of attention for so long. Though that was his own fault for the way he was. Being a werewolf certainly allowed him very little time to socialize with females. Who would want him when he was so… dangerous? He scratched the back of his neck and whispered under his breath, "Only two days left."

Kairi twitched and turned to face him, "Did you say something?" Her green eyes scanned him over as if she were looking at him for the first time; as if there was something about him that she was just noticing. The smile on her face made him blush.

Remus recovered quickly, he didn't like being looked at like that, it made him uncomfortable. "I was just saying how that blue one would be great for the Christmas ball." His heart was pounding and he hoped she bought it. Surely there was no way she had heard what he had said, and even less chance that she had understood him. He had spoken too softly.

Kairi seemed to consider it for a few moments; she continued to look at him peculiarly. Then, to his relief, she nodded and grabbed the dress he had mentioned.

Seeming to finally be satisfied with her findings, Kairi headed off to the nearest dressing room, dragging Remus behind her. At least by now he was getting used to the feeling. This seemed to be the only way the girl knew how to transport herself from place to place.

Remus was still baffled with what had just happened. He was instantly reminded of that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that there was something about her that he recognized.

_**But what?**_ Remus thought about it while she strutted into the dressing room to show him the robes he had picked out for her.

After parading various garment sets for him to critique with little or no useful feedback from Remus, a salesperson apparated next to him, almost startling Remus off his feet. A feat which really couldn't have been too difficult to achieve seeing how stressed and anxious Remus was becoming with each passing outfit. His "interest" in her was becoming more and more apparent and he was trying desperately to rein it in. His emotions weren't the only thing he lost control over whenever the full moon got too close. Kairi laughed, drawing the attention to her and away from the exasperated Remus Lupin.

"Why, madam, that dress looks like it was made for you!" the clerk cooed.

Kairi blushed and does a little twirl, letting the flowing robes billow out at her sides. Remus suppressed a growl and prayed he wouldn't pass out from the extended diversion of his body's natural flow of blood. He hadn't acted this way around another girl since his days at Hogwarts. '_Stupid moon'_ he thought to himself, not wanting to accept any other explanation for his behavior.

"We'll be getting all of these." Kairi pointed at a pile of the things she liked which she had separated from the less desirable outfits.

The clerk nodded and pulled out a scroll and started scribbling, "Will you be getting anything for your husband?"

Remus blanched, and Kairi stepped forward putting a hand on his shoulder. Remus stiffened at the contact, the little hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. If Kairi noticed, she didn't show it, though she hadn't noticed an awful lot today, he was glad anyway, even if she was faking it for his sake.

"We were thinking some casual wear, and perhaps a new set of dress robes," Kairi said. Remus did a double take and looked at Kairi with dread in his eyes. He couldn't possibly afford anything she would pick out for him, and he hated to explain to her now why he wouldn't accept her handouts. She smiled at him with a sparkle in her eyes that made dread mount in him.

The clerk nodded and led them to the menswear section.

Kairi and the clerk conversed about colors and fit while the clerk would pull things out of nowhere that fit her description. On occasion they would even include Remus in their plotting by holding a few items up to him to check color against various features Kairi seemed to think needed bringing out.

Every few seconds she would squeal or coo and another garment would drape around his shoulders. Before Remus knew it, he was covered.

"You don't actually expect me to try this on do you?" Remus looked awkwardly between himself, Kairi and the bundle of clothes in his arms. Kairi merely nodded.

"Oh, come on you'll like it."

Somehow Remus doubted her. He looked into her large pleading eyes and his knees grew weak. Remus sighed in defeat. _**Stupid moon…**_

Kairi danced around happily then escorted Remus back to the dressing room.

She handed him a new set of rust colored robes and ordered him into the changing room.

Remus never would have admitted it but he did like the attention. He wasn't used to being fawned over for anything outside of Madam Pomfrey and his transformations. The way her eyes sparkled when she laughed at his antics made him a little goofier than usual. He was starting to take a page out of Sirius' book.

She clapped her hands with a grin.

"How is it coming along? Is there anything else I can help you with?" the salesman reappeared with a pop. Kairi motioned at the parcels they had collected for Remus to try on.

"We would like to purchase these robes and," she pointed to the loose-fitting pants and collared shirt that Remus was currently sporting, "that outfit. Along with my stuff" She reached for her coin purse and handed the clerk several galleons and a few sickles.

Remus' eyes grew large; he hadn't actually thought she would buy those things for him. He started to tell her no but she silenced him with a look. He hated to accept any handouts but the second he opened his mouth to argue with her she gave him a glare that made him wonder why she had been afraid of the goblins. Give them one look like that and they would shirk away just like he wanted to do, which was saying something. He blushed and thanked her, which she waved off telling him it was a way of showing her appreciation for Gringotts.

She noticed he was still a bit embarrassed so she chose to lighten the moment. "But you owe me a drink later then we'll call it even!"

Remus brightened at the chance to redeem himself. A drink with her he could handle. "Yes ma'am."

Kairi laughed and hooked her arm in his, leading them out into the cloudless day.

* * *

Harry looked around the Leaky Cauldron for a familiar face, though not necessarily the Weasleys... he was looking for Remus. Harry gazed at the silvery colored ring on his finger and sighed.

Ever since third year Harry had looked up to Remus as a sort of father figure, at least he had before the introduction of his godfather, then with Sirius' passing the feeling was rekindled in double because he was now Harry's only link to his real father. He hadn't even heard from Remus since the incident at the ministry and was eager to see how the old wolf was doing. Harry drew his gaze from table to table hoping to spot the man he had come to see.

He felt a strong hand clap on his shoulder and he whirled around to stare into the eyes of the owner of the Leaky Cauldron himself. The crooked-backed old man grinned at Harry and asked to lead him to his room.

"M-my room?" Harry questioned. He hadn't gotten around to renting a room yet.

The broken man nodded and led the way.

Harry knew better than to ask further for this had happened once before, the wizarding world had ways of expecting people.

Once behind the closed doors of his bedroom he let Hedwig out of her cage. She flew to the window and hooted a good-bye before spreading her wings and soaring into the sky; the bright sun glinting off her snowy wings.

Harry looked out his window into the bustling Diagon Alley below. He reached for his Hogwarts letter and broke the seal.

He drug his eyes down the page noting the various books and supplies and decided to venture out to do his shopping, perhaps he would meet Remus while there.

After a quick trip to Gringotts to refill his pockets, he made way for Quality Quidditch Supplies; his routine first stop. His eyes widened when he saw it. The broom that had everyone pressing their noses to the glass like children at Fred and George's joke shop. The _Avalanche_. Harry read the card a hundred times over. He knew, however that his _Firebolt_ was an amazing broom and a gift from Sirius nonetheless. To blow all his money on a new broom would be silly. That didn't change the fact that he wanted it.

Harry was about to walk into Flourish and Blotts when he spotted, out of the corner of his eyes, Remus J. Lupin.

"Remus!" He exclaimed and ran to greet the beaming man who greeted him. Harry was greatly startled to find a woman on his arm, a very pretty one at that. Her large green eyes sized him up with what Harry could only explain as animal curiosity. "Uh…hello." He said to her. Kairi quickly excused herself, telling Lupin she would catch up with him later.

Harry watched her go, very confused.

"Harry! Glad you could make it. Come to do a bit of shopping, eh?" The old wolf grinned and clapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Lupin…who was that?" Harry inquired.

Remus gazed off into the direction Kairi had gone. "That is your new Care of Magical Creatures professor."

Harry followed the mysterious woman's shrinking form for a moment before doing a double take. What did he mean _new _Care of Magical Creatures professor? "What happened to Hagrid?"

Remus thought for a moment, his hand on his chin, "My guess would be Order business, but Dumbledore didn't give me the details. To be honest I didn't ask."

Harry didn't ask more.

A suspended silence hung between them, each glad to see the other, but neither wanting to express it now that they were in the other's presence.

"Ah! I remember that old ring." Remus took Harry's hand and gazed into the misty clouds.

"Yeah, I wanted to thank you."

Remus shrugged it off. "Not that I really needed it anymore. Did Hermione and Ron get a kick out of theirs?"

"Well, I haven't seen them yet. They are supposed to be picking me up here to go to the Burrow. Aunt Petunia never really got over the fireplace accident last time." Harry chuckled.

Remus smiled as he thought of the Weasleys appearing in a muggle house. Arthur _must_ have gone nuts! Harry must have sensed his train of though because he started to add the twins had slipped Dudley one of their invention candies but, Remus cut him off and offered to accompany him to his supply shopping. Harry smiled as a thought occurred to him.

"Remus, do you know who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is?"

Remus grinned sheepishly, "Why, yes… yes I do."

"…and?" Harry pressed.

Remus stopped and threw his arms out like he was awaiting a hug. "You're looking at him!"

Harry felt his jaw drop. "Seriously? That's brilliant! Congratulations Professor Lupin!" Harry jumped with excitement. "Wait until I tell the others!"

Remus got a mischievous grin, "Maybe we should keep it a surprise… let them see me at the table when the feast and the sorting are taking place."

Harry nodded… but he didn't know how he was going to keep it from Hermione, she always had a way of knowing when he was keeping something from her. But now he had more important things to take care of, like _his_ shopping.

* * *

Kairi flopped down on her "down" comforter bed and took a long swig of fire whiskey. She massaged her aching muscles longing for another hot shower. She knew in a few days she would be on the bus for Hogwarts. Twilight was drawing nearer and she opted to take that shower. Kairi turned the water on as high as it would go, just the way she liked it. As she was undressing, she thought back to the way Remus had acted in the department store.

She stepped in under the scalding hot water and let it soak deep into her, soothing her tensed muscles. Kairi loved the shower. She looked at it as her little heaven on earth, a place where no one could bother her. Sometimes she would turn the lights off and shower in the dark. Though the surreal feel of the shower often times was so enticing she often found herself taking them several times a day.

"What was up with him in the department store?" She asked herself aloud, remembering his peculiar behavior. Her thoughts drug back to what he had said under his breath. "Two days?" she poured a blob of her shampoo in her hand and began to lather when it occurred to her what he was referencing to.

"The full moon!" Kairi froze under the heavy stream of water and blinked furiously as the hot water rinsed the shampoo into her eyes.

"Ouch! Oh shit," she cried out and pawed at her eyes trying to get the assailant out of them.

She turned her face up towards the flow of water and forced her eyes open, allowing the stream to flush her eyes out.

She took that as a good sign that it was time to get out of the shower. Thoughts flew through her mind in torrents.

_It all makes sense now. _She realized while she towel dried her hair and padded across her floor to the bed. _Remus is a werewolf…

* * *

_

**_A/N: _**I know the timeline has been a bit screwey up until this point. in he first two chapters Harry's time was actually about a week ahead of Remus and Kairi's time. Or something like that... i actually have it a bit confused in my own mind to tell you the truth. I could have seperated the two but i wanted Harry and Remus both to be key elements right from the begining. Remus is the star of this fic, but Harry needed to be there so i merged the two. All will come together in the chapter of the full moon. I apologize for any confusion and urge you to just go with the flow.


	4. The Full Moon

**_A/N: _**There is a bit of adult content in this chapter as well. Mostly to do with self "relief". The story is rated "M" for a reason. It is a light scene though and shouldn't be too much trouble.

* * *

Chapter Four: The Full Moon

* * *

Kairi woke with a start. A prick at the base of her spin had alerted her to an uninvited guest. She could smell him, taste him in the room and she didn't like it. His very presence sent unpleasant chills up her spine. Kairi lay perfectly still in her bed and waited for him to make a move. To give some indication of what he was doing there, why he was in her room standing in the shadows. 

He did not.

Impatience quickly got the better of her. She had never really been one to stake out her enemies. She was more the kind of girl who would pounce on her enemies and tear the flesh from their bones. What really got her riled to the point of no return was that this perverse intruder was _watching her _sleep.

_**Well I hope he enjoys the show,** _she thought _**because it will be his last!** _

She leapt from her bed in one fluid motion almost too fast for the naked and otherwise unprepared eye to follow. In a flash she had pounced on her silent aggressor and had him rather viciously pinned to the wall. Her claws reached for his throat hell bent on rending the head from his shoulders. Then she stopped suddenly as recognition hit her like a slap in the face. She gasped when she realized who it was. She released him and tried to compose herself quickly.

"Serverus," she crooned.

Snape looked her over, sneering at her miniscule nightgown; not even bothering to hide his obtrusive gaze. Kairi had to repress the urge to pull at her hem. He made her feel dirty just standing there like that. Her gown may not have been modest but it was far from the slinky lingerie Serverus was making it feel like.

Kairi stepped away from him and growled. Her eyes dared him to speak.

"What are you doing in my room you pervert?" She snapped at him, pulling herself up to her full height, trying to look imposing.

Snape laughed coldly. Another chill shot unpleasantly up and down Kairi's spine. "I assure you, that I would never stoop to such a low." He placed a slightly smoking goblet on the dresser to his left. "Dumbledore's orders, you know," he smiled his eerie grin, and vanished.

Kairi stared blankly at the goblet. Its silver rim glistened in a poisonous welcome that made a mockery of the beauty of what she was. Anger rose bitterly in her throat.

_He wants me to WHAT? _

She fumed with rage and grabbed the goblet, heading to her window.

_**I will never subject myself to such humiliation you foul son-of-a-bitch. That was not part of our agreement.** _

She poured the wolfsbane into the street below.

_**I am beautiful! All werewolves are beautiful!**_

Kairi fell to her knees and cried to the moon. She had hoped Hogwarts would be different; hoped Dumbledore would be different. She had trusted him with her every secret. She had told him what she was in the confidence that he would tell no one. He had accepted her and she had though this set up was too good too be true. She never imagined how right she would be. He was just like everyone else. They all wanted her to take potions; wanted her to hide what she was… but Kairi welcomed the change. Welcomed it like an elegant coat found deep in a forgotten closet.

The moon rose high in the sky, so close to fullness that Kairi could almost will the change to happen tonight. In fact, she could already taste the crunch of her spine and the innocent blood that came with the success of the hunt.

Her thoughts turned to Remus.

_**Does he take this vile potion? **_She thought to herself. _**Surely not. An intellectual such as he is without a doubt proud of the power that comes with this werewolf blood.**_

But curiosity had won her over. Ever since she had discovered he was a werewolf in the department store yesterday, she had yearned for him to run with her. No one wants to be a lone wolf forever. The thought of finally having someone to be with her during the moon was something Kairi had dreamt about for as long as she had been alone… for as long as she had been a werewolf.

_**I know,** _she thought to herself. _**I'll go to him when the sun rises. Tell him who I am. What I am.** _

The thought of her supposed betrayal from Dumbledore and the audacity this man may or may not have held in the administration of that abysmal potion was suppressed in her sudden desire to finally be with someone. To be with Remus…

Kairi sighed in contentment as she crawled back into her warm bed. Planning to tell Remus at breakfast, she smiled. Now she knew what she found so familiar about him.

Kairi drifted off to sleep with thoughts of fur and teeth rubbing against each other. She hadn't slept that well in a long time.

* * *

Remus shuddered at the musky entrance to his old sanctuary. The one place where he could go to seek refuge from the many fears and the paranoia that plagued his childhood was this old shack. 

The thought of the cold wood within the house seemed somehow inviting as Remus thought of his many trips to the old shack. All his many fond memories of Sirius, James, and even Peter came back to him in an icy grip. Tears threatened to spill over his cheeks. _Sirius… James… _He held them back.

Remus pushed the knot at the base of the whomping willow and slipped inside.

"I remember this passage being a lot larger," he muttered to himself as he crawled along the cobweb-choked corridor.

When Remus had awoken that morning to a prickling at his spine, he knew he had to get out of the Leaky Cauldron. There was no way he would be able to conceal himself there without losing control. Not with her there.

He had smelled her immediately that morning. His overactive senses that had bothered him yesterday didn't have anything on the thoughts her shampoo had wafted to him from across the hall. He had nearly howled for her. How embarrassing.

Remus was greatly disturbed at this reaction and the reactions of the previous two days. He had never had this problem before. Not even with the overzealous teenage hormones running around, the estrogen laiden school girls, batting their eyelashes and begging for him to help them with their homework. Even when they would sit with him in his office begging him to slide his hand up their skirts he had managed to ignore their come-ons. Even close to the full moon when they would knock on the door to his office and coo their get-well wishes in pseudo-seductive tones, he had been able to contain himself fairly easily. Even at the full moon when his animal instincts told him to pounce on whoever was willing he had staved off his cravings. This wasn't an age barrier thing either, but he was a professional and he had his morals, not even another teacher, someone his own age, fell prey to his hungers.

It had something to do with _her_.

Kairi Faye.

A growl was suppressed in his throat and he blushed though no one was around. Oh no, there was no way he would be able to stay in that hotel with her knocking on his door, asking him to come out and play.

Remus shivered, and it wasn't from the cold.

He finally reached the end of the passage and pushed open the door. He was greeted by undisturbed dust and a room that reminded him all too well of the last time he had been here. The first time he had seen Sirius after all those long years. The night he had forgotten his wolfsbane…

Remus sighed and moved to the bed where he plopped down among the shredded sheets he so often cleaved to. Every time he would wake up after a night of the full moon, he would find himself clutching the blankets in handfuls, tears of pain staining his cheeks. Back before James and Sirius discovered him, that blanket was his only point of complete openness. It was the only thing in that school that he knew he could break down of front of.

His thoughts circled from the room back to Kairi. He tried in vain to pinpoint what it was about her that got him so… riled. Not to mention so nervous, he was usually a debonair with the ladies, a regular Don Juan. Sirius had taught him well. He had to learn quickly to keep up with the young Casanova. Sirius was always being swooned over by what seemed to be half the girls in Hogwarts. It also seemed that his, for lack of a better phrasing: _jealousy _over James' and Lily's relationship kept him nipping at all their heels. On a good night between the two of them Remus and Sirius would bring home three or four girls. That means more than one girl a piece. Hogwarts had been a wonderful time… Now this one girl, this one girl in a field of millions had him panting.

That was all it took, that one thought brought her face and more importantly her body thrilling through his imagination. The way her presence seemed to fill every single one of his senses. It had been so long since he allowed himself to think of another person that way, and even longer since those days at Hogwarts. His imagination took him further allowing Remus to imagine doing things with her he thought he would never be able to do to a woman again. Suddenly his pants felt too tight and he rolled over on his stomach checking his watch.

Only half past noon. This was going to be a long full moon. Remus smirked to himself at his "situation", he might as well do something about it.

_**Well, it is a way to pass the time…**_

Remus slid his hand down his chest and down under the hem of his pants. A soft groan left his lips as he moved his hand gently along his erection. His eyes glazed over and he let his thoughts drift back to Kairi. Suddenly she was there.

It was her tongue flicking across his chest. Her hands... her body...

* * *

Harry Potter woke slowly with a long yawn. He stretched languidly and stared at the ceiling for a moment orienting himself. His dark room was suddenly noticed as unfamiliar. 

Where was he? The Leaky Cauldron… check.

Why? …The Weasley's were going to meet him and take him to the burrow… check check.

_**Alrighty then,** _he thought to himself as he tossed the covers back.

Harry fumbled for his glasses and yawned again. Perhaps he would run into Remus again today before the Weasley's caught up with him. Too bad, he remembered, it was the full moon. His heart went out to the wolf. Come to think of it… why hadn't he seen the Weasleys yesterday? Oh well… there was only a week left of summer anyways. They probably intended to go ahead meet him here and wait until it was time to board the Hogwarts Train. Harry was fine with that. Sure he wanted to see his friends but after the incident at the ministry… sometimes he just needed to be alone.

He had always feared how Sirius's death would affect him. So had everyone else. They all walked on eggshells around him, fearing he would break if they made one false move. Thankfully, the Dursley's couldn't have cared even if they had known. This made it considerably more bearable to endure the summer. He was able to occupy himself with the thoughts of his coming year at Hogwarts and spent countless hours imagining what this year would hold for him.

But then there were the times when he was alone.

It was during these times that he mourned for his lost godfather. He cried and swore to get revenge. But the inability to conceive how it would be done only through his vain attempt at comforting himself down the drain and plummeted him deeper into despair.

During his long hours alone in the house, when all others were out doing whatever they did without him, Harry would train his body and mind. He dared not do magic. But he could prepare himself in other ways than that. He memorized incantations and practiced wand movements to perfection. Hermione would be proud of how far he had progressed from his "just by luck" days of spell work. In his mind, he was ready for Voldemort. Though that was only in his mind. There was really no way to know if he was really ready…

Harry brooded quietly in the silence, his mind taking him off to past battles in the dark forest, in the chamber of secrets, with the sorcerer's stone… and in the graveyard.

His thought were suddenly interrupted… alas, there came a knock at his door.

Harry groaned and ran his fingers through his hair as he headed to answer the pounding before it gave him another one of his terrible headaches; the ones that caused him to make things explode without touching a wand. The ministry hated it when he did that.

He pulled back the heavy oak door and was greeted by a squealing mass of auburn curls.

"Hermione!" he bellowed.

"Harry! Oh, how I've missed you! How've you been?" He hugged him tightly around the neck.

"Oh, just great!" He lied. "How about you?"

Immediately she spurted off on a long monologue about the burrow and being sorry she couldn't convince them to go get you… to be honest they were still sorry about the fireplace incident.

Harry just nodded and gave generic responses wherever they were needed. That's when Ron walked in. The red headed, freckled boy grinned broadly at the reunion of the three of them. Harry grinned back at him. The bond between the three and become far deeper than any friendship. When they were apart they were missing something and every time all three of them were reunited it was like finding that lost piece.

Harry slapped his best friend a high five and then a hug. They turn to Hermione in unison and shake their heads. She is still babbling in about her summer and being head girl and such.

"Oh Harry, have you heard? You will _never guess _who made Head boy!"

Harry looked at Ron in a vain hope. He shook his head. There was only one boy who would make Hermione take on that tone and look.

"Oh please not him…" Harry dreaded the answer but already knew what she would say.

Hermione looked at her feet. "Yes… Draco Malfoy."

Harry's stomach hit the floor. Horrifying images of Malfoy's imminent abuse of authority darkened his thoughts of this coming year. And he had such high hopes for this year…

Hermione patted his arm comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Harry. I'll keep him in line."

Harry could just picture Hermione standing over Malfoy with a whip and torturing him into submission. The thought brought a smile to his face. He couldn't help it… he laughed. The though of seeing the over-proud, self absorbed snake lover brought down a peg by a "mudblood" made him roll until tears stung the corners of his eyes.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him but did not ask what was funny. Harry had a feeling she just knew, she always did know what was going on between them. They all did. Harry looked back to Ron who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Anyway," Ron tried to cover for his friend before Hermione could voice her objection to what she inevitably knew he had been picturing. "Have you done your shopping yet, Harry?"

Harry composed himself and gestured to his pile of books that covered one section of his floor. Hermione berated herself for not noticing and chose that opportunity to inquire as to who the next DADA teacher would be. No need to draw unnecessary attention to her mistake.

Harry said nothing, and she did notice that.

"Who do you think it will be?" she asked innocently, raising an eyebrow and taking a step towards him.

Harry didn't miss a beat, "I have no idea… but I can't wait to find out." He held his breath, waiting for her reaction.

She bought it.

"Oh I know, me either… Although I know none will be as good as professor Lupin," she cooed.

Ron and Harry both rolled their eyes. Not even Hermione could stand against Lupin's telltale charm. Though to their knowledge she had not gone as far as some of the other girls had gone. Unlike Lavender Brown, Hermione had never gone to his office to take advantage of his obvious loneliness. "Sure the guy was attractive," she would say, "but that does not mean I want to have sex with him! Not that any of those tramps who go after him will either…"

Harry then remembered his rings. The talk about Remus jogged his memory. What better time to give them to his friends, than now?

"Hey guys, I got an interesting present from Remus for my birthday this year," he offered.

Ron and Hermione perked their interest.

Harry rummaged through his trunk for the velvet box he was looking for. He found it and smiled. He turned to his friends and held out the opened velvet box. The two looked from him to the box and back before he giggled and decided to explain.

"They are wizard friendship rings," Harry said handing one to each of them.

"I've read about these," Hermione said not surprisingly. "But I have never actually seen one. They are supposed to tell the wearer about the danger of the others." She put hers on her finger. It morphed to fit her finger perfectly. The clouds within flew suddenly through a flurry of colors before settling on the same silvery clouds that stormed in Harry's.

"Wicked," Ron said as he put on his own. It did the same.

Hermione suddenly looked concerned. She almost burst into tears and threw her arms around Harry again. For a moment Harry had no idea what had her so upset.

"I hope we don't really need to use them…"

Ron came over and wrapped his arms around the both of them.

"Neither do I, Hermione."

Harry looked at his best mate as he caressed the back of the sobbing girl held between them. Ron offered him a weak smile as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Thank you, Harry," Ron offered. "Any gift that will help us keep each other safe is one I will treasure forever."

Harry nodded and he felt Hermione tense in his arms. She looked up at the two of them and wiped the tears from her eyes. "So will I."

* * *

**_A/N: _**Life is good. 


	5. Hate Yourself

**_A/N: _**There is some adult content that is not entirely consensual, it is in the middle and if you don't want to read it you can skip down to the next bar thing. Though I wouldn't put it in if it wasn't necessairy.

* * *

Chapter Five: Hate Yourself

Kairi Faye moved through the forest like water. The sun had risen and had begun its decent in the western sky. The moon was almost visible in the weakening light and Kairi already missed the feel of the earth on her wolf's paws. She had wished she could have changed with Remus, but when she awoke that morning he had already left the Leaky Cauldron. She had devoured all the meat on the two trays worth of breakfast and left everything else alone, especially the detestable smoking potion. She poured it out of her window and gathered her things.

Tonight was going to be her first as a teacher. She had always wanted this chance. The chance to show all the students at Hogwarts that there was more to the average beast than _monster_. Since she was bitten as a child, she had thought the same thing, but when the wolf that had bitten her found her later and helped her through it she knew all _monsters_ must be more than they seem. The werewolf that bit her had never felt so terrible. So what if I shouldn't have been out in the woods alone on the night of a full moon? So what if he was too poor to afford the wolfsbane potion and was trying desperately to secure himself where no one was supposed to be? He wanted to help, and without his guidance, Kairi would never be as comfortable with herself as she was, because she would never understand her wolf.

After she sent for a house elf to arrange for her things to be sent to Hogwarts, Kairi left the Leaky Cauldron. Sure she could have managed her things on her own, but her excitement at the arrival of the full moon had her almost tearing herself apart. The sooner she got to a safe place, the better.

Kairi thought of where Remus might go to transform. Only one place had come to her mind: The forest at Hogwarts.

She wasn't able to contain her disappointment when she could not scent Remus on the air. But this disdain simply could not last with the smell of the forest pressing in around her. She stilled her body and focused inward where her wolf was waiting, just below the surface. The sun may have still been out but the full moon was still there, she could feel it. The moon's cool surface pulled at her wolf and called it from her flesh. There, buried deep within the Forbidden Forest, she let it out to play.

Hours after the sun finally went down over the horizon, Kairi felt, rather than heard, a scream go up from somewhere in the distance. She lifted her nose from the trail of what smelled close enough like a deer to count as food and sniffed the air in the direction the scream had come from. Her ears pricked up again when the smell shifted, one minute man, the next: wolf.

Excitement trilled through her as the howl of another werewolf hit her ears.

**_Male… _**her wolf thought, and she ran to him.

The sound was a good distance away but the moon was high and dawn was far away. Without even so much as a thought she flung her body out of the forest and into the clearing, her wolf was desperate for a companion.

She ran a wide berth around what was affectionately known as the Whomping Willow and kept going, though where another werewolf would find reason to be out here she did not know. She stopped suddenly when another howl came from behind her. Confusion set in and she sniffed the air, trying for a more accurate pinpoint on his location. She slowly backtracked and sniffed at the ground, her nose told her there was wolf there, but her eyes and ears told her there was nothing.

Kairi paced back and forth over the spot where Remus should be and she whimpered. She sat back on her haunches and howled for him, after a few seconds ticked by, he answered her. No werewolf can resist the call of the opposite sex.

Her wolf looked at the dirt and it clicked. Remus was underground. She lifted her eyes to look more closely at the surrounding area but saw no entrance. She began pawing at the ground, wanting desperately to get to him, but not knowing how. The only things out here were her and that damned tree; the opening had to be somewhere else.

Kairi's logical human side convinced the wolf to go inspect the ominous tree more closely. She slunk cautiously towards the tree hoping to avoid grabbing its attention, though every time she got within a certain radius of the tree it would swing at her angrily, forcing her back. There was no way anyone could get close to that thing.

Hours of pacing back and forth trying the tree's defenses and pawing at the ground had the wolf irritated to the point of giving up and Remus had stopped answering.

Her wolf needed to hunt and Kairi didn't have a good enough reason to keep her digging.

They ran back to the forest and the sanctity provided by the trees. Kairi scented deeply of the forest and let her wolf separate every individual scent from everything else. The smell of the trees and the earth under her feet, the scent of the owl sitting in the tree above her head, and all mixed in with the sweet, sweet smell of night.

They ran through the forest and the hunt was on again. Everything was lost in the thrill of the chase. The hunt for the werewolf is never just about catching food. It was about running and playing and being free. Whatever they were chasing must know on some level it was being played with. It must know that at any moment they could just decide not to play anymore and move in for the kill.

Kairi didn't get to find out what it was though, for the sun was beginning to rise over the edge of the horizon and the thrill of the chase lost a lot of its zeal without the wolf there to take pleasure in the tearing of the flesh; or in the spill of blood.

She tried to cling to the feel of fur and the smell of wolf but the moon had already begun to wane and the sun was lulling the beast to sleep. Without the call of the moon, it was too hard for Kairi to maintain her wolf and she felt it start to fade under the press of the sun.

She howled one last time her lament for the night's passing, and bid her beast farewell. She braced herself for the sweet slip between wolf and woman. The scent of the other werewolf was long forgotten in the heat of the change. There would be time for such frivolity later.

* * *

Remus shuddered as the last phases of his werewolf change melted away from his skin. He lay there, naked, and shaking and clutched the shredded blanket in what only moments ago had been claws. Sobs wracked his body as he let it out. Let everything out.

Remus had never been proud of his wolf. In fact, more often than not, Remus hated himself. He wanted, more desperately than anything, not to be what he was. And every time the moon grew large and full Remus wanted genuinely to die. It was not always like that. Back with James, Sirius and Peter, his transformations had been something he almost looked forward to. The secret rendezvous through the Forbidden Forest made his wolf form just like an extension of himself. Not a disability, just another part of Remus Lupin to play with. The fact that he was able to share this life with them, to be completely free with them, made those few years in his life the most enjoyable of any thereafter.

He wrapped his arms around himself tightly; grief and weariness were finally catching up with him. He lay there, hugging himself, and slept. Finally welcoming the rest his body so desperately desired.

Remus awoke to the gentle touch of a woman, running her hands through his hair. The werewolf in him, his animal side, not fully put to rest for the month, woke to her touch. He growled in approval. The gentle touch grazed its fingernails softy down his sides and Remus exhaled softly.

He lazily opened his eyes, and was momentarily taken aback by whom he saw. His body was reacting to her touch even as his mind was telling him to throw her from his lap. Her big brown eyes looked up at him, innocence sparkling within lustful curiosity: Hermione.

He opened his mouth to speak but she silenced him with a smile and reached over to wrap her fingers around him. Remus closed his eyes and gasped. He couldn't help it; he was still too animal to control himself. He had to get her away from him, and fast.

Remus reached down to stop her as she slowly started pumping her hand, gripping him tightly. He felt the animal in him yearn to be touched like this. But the man in him kept telling him it was Hermione.

The girl looking up at him now was not the Hermione he knew. It couldn't be. This was the student that tsk'd at all the girls who fawned over him in her third year when they threw themselves at him. But that look in her eyes…

He closed his eyes again, forcing himself to think, and that was a bad idea. Without her face to remind him of who he was dealing with the sensations magnified tenfold. All he could think about was the feeling of her hands on his body.

**_No! This is Hermione! The girl who kept my secret when I taught here. I cannot do this._**

Remus forced his eyes open and gasped at what he saw. Hermione was leaning down over him, her eyes dancing, and wrapped her lips around where her hands just were.

"Hermione, stop please," Remus choked out. He sat up and grabbed her arm when there was no reply.

Suddenly Hermione was under him and he didn't remember moving her. Not only that, all of their clothes had disappeared and upon closer inspection Remus found them shredded and strewn around the room.

**_Shredded…_**

Hermione lay under him with no lust left in her eyes, now there was only fear. He shifted off of her, shame and mortification stinging him deep to his core. As he lifted his body off of her he found himself simultaneously pulling out of her.

**_What have I done? _**

She gasped and whimpered, sobbing while he removed every inch of flesh touching her off of her trembling body. Remus watched Hermione's trembling body curl in on itself and he listened to her cry.

He slowly retreated to the opposite end of the bed, unable to tear his eyes away from the crying girl.

**_Please, God, no. Tell me this isn't happening. Tell me I didn't…_**

His eyes flew wide as his body met the end of the bed and he fell unceremoniously to the cold wooden floor…

Remus woke with a start, sweat dripping from his body. He was still in the shrieking shack and he was alone.

**_It was a dream…_**

Remus wrapped his arms around himself and tried to remember the dream. His body was drenched in a cold sweat and his wolf nose was disgusted at his own fear clogged stink.

He pushed with his mind at the fog-wall that kept him from recalling what had gotten him so shaken. His nightmares, though commonly quite terrifying, didn't usually block themselves this thickly. He hated that something had frightened him, and he didn't know what. Memories like that tended to sneak up on someone later in life. Dreams were there for a reason, and to be forgotten or blocked by one's subconscious was not one of them.

Remus gulped and lay back on the shredded pillows collecting his thoughts. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. His more rational side was already taking over for his wolf; pushing it down into his mind and coaxing it to sleep.

What people often didn't know about werewolves was that the wolf inside them does not only appear at the full moon. The fur may only come around when the moon is able to call it from the skin, but once the wolf is running through a person's veins, they are truly and personally connected with that animal. That is why their senses and strengths are heightened. That was one of the reasons Remus hated the wolf inside him so much, it never left him alone. It was constantly reminding him that he needed to hunt. He needed to run. The wolf _hated _curling up under that desk in his office, and it hated the wolfsbane.

He lifted himself from the tattered rags of his monthly bed and dressed himself. The change always made mincemeat of his robes if he wasn't careful.

Remus gathered himself and checked his watch. He had slept longer than usual and the Hogwarts train had already departed. Not that it really mattered; he was already on the grounds.

He stumbled up the passageway and out into the warm afternoon. Remus gazed lovingly at the castle before him and sighed. Hogwarts was always beautiful. The nostalgia hit Remus in the face and he desperately wished he could be back in the presence of his real friends. James and Sirius and Peter were his life.

He shook his head and began trudging up the path to the castle, his home.

**_It's good to be back. _**

Remus couldn't wait to be back at the teacher's table. To sit there with all his fellow professors and watch as a new generation of witches and wizards were sorted into their houses was something he had looked forward to since he realized he was really going back. Not only that, though, but he would be back around the new-age marauders: Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

He smiled to himself as he walked closer to the castle. Memories of his days as a youth ran through his mind. He was back…

He reached the entrance to the castle and ran his fingers over the smooth wood of the doors. They were so worn with age and use that Remus almost felt they had something in common.

Remus pushed the doors open and stepped into the warm entrance of Hogwarts.

…he was home.

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione hauled their trunks onto a trolley as they made their way through King's Cross Station. Ginny and Molly were close behind and Molly was fretting about whether or not they had remembered everything.

"Mum, honestly," Ginny rolled her eyes at her mother, flipping her flaming red hair.

Molly clucked at her and ushered them towards platform nine and three quarters.

Harry and Hermione exchanged knowing glances and Ron rolled his eyes. It was something to speak of when not only did the children of the mother know the over protectiveness of Molly, but her children's best mates knew it as well.

Ron wedged himself between Harry and Hermione and put an arm around each of their shoulders. The platform loomed before them with the promise of a full year's worth of entertainment and learning. They looked over their shoulders simultaneously to see that no muggles were paying them an inordinate amount of attention, but the magic of the platform made them almost not see it at all. It was just another wall, and if they noticed as the three pushed their carts into the wall and vanished, they never said anything.

Once on the other side, they wasted no time getting their things on the train. The magic of the platform, though impressive, was not the most pressing thing. Getting on the train before it pulled away, that was the pressing matter.

They marched down the isle looking for an empty compartment, they were so antisocial. They passed Neville without a glance; he was sitting with Luna Lovegood; which was no good. That woman exuded drama like a bad odor.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Draco Malfoy appeared right in their path. He tried to fill the corridor with his frame. Without Crabbe and Goyle at his back, this was a daunting task; but he was already sporting his Head Boy badge and a smug look that promised a year of hell and torture. That helped a bit.

Harry grimaced.

"So, finally decided to show your face, have you?" He leered down at Hermione trying to make her feel small and weak, something she was not. "Don't know why I was surprised that Dumbledore picked you to be Head Girl, you always were teacher's pet."

Harry and Ron waited for the sting to come, but it didn't. He was being strangely polite… how disconcerting.

"I was just coming to inform you that you need to come immediately for a meeting with the prefects." He waited for a moment then sighed and pulled out his wand. Harry and Ron both tensed but he merely pointed it at Hermione's trunk and magicked it into an empty compartment to their left and put it away.

"Now, Granger," He turned on his heel and left in a flurry of robes.

Hermione let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and went into the compartment where Draco had sent her stuff. "I am going to change. I'll be quick so wait there and don't peek." Her voice sounded joking, but there was a tone there underneath it all that said she meant it.

The boys scoffed at each other like the very idea was laughable, but they were boys. They shifted their eyes at each other and Ron grinned.

"Don't you do it, mate. She will hex you into next Tuesday," Harry said, but he was grinning too.

Harry looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching them in their nefarious plotting while Ron tried to peak around the screen blocking the compartment from their sight.

"What are you guys doing out here in the hallway?" Ginny appeared with her trunk at the end of the hallway at Harry's back.

Both boys jumped and rounded on her, a blush tingeing their faces. But before any explanations or accusations could be made, the train gave a sharp jerk and there was a loud crash from within the compartment.

Ron and Harry looked at each other with fear for their friend evident on their faces. What if her trunk had fallen on her?

"Hermione," they whispered in unison and flung the door open.

The trunk was on the ground, clothes and books littered the room. The trunk had fallen open when it hit the ground and Hermione was to the side of it, her eyes wide open like a deer caught in the headlights as se looked at the boys over her fallen trunk. Harry let his jay drop at the sight of a single line of pale flesh that went from her neck down to her knees where her trunk blocked any further down from view. The setting sun glinted off that pale flesh and something deep inside him tightened painfully. A low sound from Ron beside him let him know he was not the only one who appreciated the view.

It was one of those moments where everything slows down and a second stretches out for a mini eternity. One of those seconds Hermione was still staring wide eyed at them with her robe clutched to the front of her body. They had a moment to breathe relief that her trunk hadn't fallen on her then the next second clicked and Hermione was hurling a book at their heads. Ginny, who had just peered over their shoulders, had to back away quickly and nearly tripped trying to put a safe distance between her at whatever had just happened. The boys came out after her ducking as another book flew over their heads; it was a big one too. Ginny grinned as she saw the title gleaming, _Hogwarts: A History._ If Hermione was pissed enough to throw her books, then she had a lot of ammunition.

The boys slammed the door closed and slumped down against it, as if for extra security. They looked at each other and shared a knowing smile. It dawned on Ginny what must have happened before the books started flying, and what the boys had been doing when she rounded that corner suddenly made sense. She put her hands on her hips and set her best glare on the two snickering boys. Near death experiences always did make boys a little giggly.

"You two better get away from that door," Ginny warned.

They laughed at each other a little too loudly and slid over to the other side of the hallway. It was that nervous laughter that usually showed a person was about to go into shock. Ginny smiled, she somehow doubted it was that serious.

Moments later Hermione walked out of the compartment and, without so much as a glance at the boys, she strode down the hallway past Ginny. She wasn't sure, but she could almost swear that when Hermione walked past, she was smiling.

* * *

**A/N: **There you go.

Before anyone can ask this question, the reason Kairi is able so transform and control her wolf without the aid of the wolfsbane potion is because she has accepted her beast. She doesn't fight it so the wolf doesn't have to control her to live and hunt. This is also the same reason why Remus has such trouble with his and why he did not sense that Kairi was a werewolf. He was **fighting his beast**. That is the reason why the change is so violent for him as well, because he, even in the moment the full moon is strongest, trying to hold his human form. If you will remember, when Remus was with James, Sirius and Peter, he said he was able to keep his head better. When the marauders were around, Remus almost looked forward to the change, and he stopped fighting it so hard. Closer to the full moon, Remus starts to lose control because the beast is waking, and he recognized it in Kairi almost immideatly. He kept thinking there was something familiar about her. That was becasue his beast was recognizing hers. He was just fighting the wolf so hard, he remained oblivious to what it was trying to tell him. In all honesty, Kairi should have figured it out sooner, but it wasn't until his reference to the full moon in the clothing store that she heard him say **under his breath** that it clicked.

Nest question is that Remus raped a sixteen year old girl and I need to die, right? Wrong. Everything happens for a reason. Shut up and keep reading.


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N)** Look at that. A PG-13 chapter. I will try not to let it happen too often... give the girl a break. The relationship hasn't even started yet!

* * *

Chapter Six: Stalling and Nerves

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked with eager faces at the bright and shining smiles of the first years as they lined up to have the sorting hat placed on their heads. Professor McGonagall had on her tight lipped face, as if by imposing her ferocity on them at an early age they would be less likely to give her problems later. It had worked for her thus far.

Hermione suddenly gasped just as the first student was called forth. She nudged Harry in the ribs sharply, almost shrieking with glee. Harry did not even have to ask what was going on with her; all he had to know was where she was looking: the teacher's table.

"Harry, Ron, it's Professor Lupin!" Ron slowly turned his eyes and grinned when Hermione's observation was confirmed. The werewolf had been the threesome's favorite DADA teacher, and to see him finally return to the school was something they had given up hope would ever happen. But there he sat, up at the teachers table chatting with Professor Flitwick like he had never left. The tiny man squeaked with laughter at something Lupin had said and Remus smiled.

"Wicked," Ron said.

Another reason the three had liked him so much was that he was the best DADA teacher they had ever had putting the despicable Umbridge to shame. They had learned more from him alone than all their other professors put together. With the exception of maybe the short period Harry had spent teaching last year secretly as the head of "Dumbledore's Army".

"It will be nice to actually learn something this year." Harry agreed fervently.

Even last year when he had been a makeshift teacher, only the students in his class had learned. Obviously, as the teacher, he had gained nothing.

A heavy sigh from behind them brought to their attention just how many other people had noticed Lupin's return. Ron clenched a fist.

"Looks like Dumbledore will let anyone teach," Draco Malfoy purred to his Slytherin comrades. Crabbe and Goyle laughed and a young dark haired boy smiled with him. Hermione looked at him but couldn't remember his name, she had never really kept up on the individuals of Slytherin unless they gave her cause to.

"Maybe, since the Defense of the Dark Arts position has such a bad reputation for killing off its professors, Dumbledore finally hired someone expendable," the boy said.

Harry started to shout something to the Slytherins but Hermione stopped him, shaking her head.

"Don't be the one to start it," She whispered to him. Hermione sincerely hope they wouldn't give the wolf too much grief this year. He was such a nice person, and he deserved better than the world gave him.

Harry tore his gaze from the Slytherins and as his attention wandered, he noted not all were welcoming him back with disdain. Lavender Brown sat with her face in her hands gazing at the professor in question with an almost sickening look on her face. Hermione had noticed too and stifled a giggle, nudging Ron sharply with her elbow.

"Oi, Lavender, I am so sorry," Ron grumbled, when his spilled his pumpkin juice all over her lap. He reached over to her lap and dabbed a napkin, blatantly ignoring the violation of her personal space. Harry and Hermione were almost dying with laughter.

She brushed him off angrily, refocusing her attentions on the werewolf, failing miserably to hide the lustful gleam in her eyes. If she wasn't mistaken, there was something decidedly different about him. She couldn't put her finger on it… Lavender shook her head and watched him intently.

McGonagall called out the names of the students monotonously, careful not to add any undue attention to one name. No one, not even the great Harry Potter, was particularly special in her eyes. That was something people could admire her for, she never chose favorites. Everyone, even those in her own house were treated equally.

Hermione and the boys cheered for every nameless student who was appointed for Gryffindor until each student was seated at their respective tables. A young girl with almost white blond hair squeezed in next to Hermione and lowered her eyes nervously.

"Hello," Hermione offered, trying to make the girl feel welcome since she obviously didn't know anyone. "I'm Hermione Granger. What's your name?" She tried to keep her voice soft but the girl still looked terrified when she looked up to meet Hermione's eyes.

"My name is Rebecca," she said.

Hermione elbowed Ron, who was conveniently not holding any pumpkin juice this time, and nodded towards her. Harry was looking as well since the girl was sitting between him and Hermione.

Ron stared stupidly for a moment then caught it, "My name is Ron Weasley," he said with a smile.

"And my name is Harry, welcome to Gryffindor," he deliberately didn't say his last name. The girl was so nervous he was sure telling her who he was would be a bad idea.

She smiled weakly and was about to say something when the whole room went silent.

The four Gryffindors sat there with bated breath as Dumbledore rose.

Remus looked out at the students he would be teaching this year. His eyes fell on a few familiar faces and when he found them grinning back at him he almost had to kick himself for resisting Dumbledore for so long. Some of the students were even waving at him. Sure there were several students who were rather shocked to see him come back, namely Slytherins. But on the whole, most seemed glad to see him.

He sipped his pumpkin juice as he looked over towards Kairi who was sitting nervously next to Professor Snape. The poor woman looked positively petrified. He was about to get her attention to ask what was bothering her when the room went completely silent.

Dumbledore had stood, and everyone held their breath waiting for him to speak.

"Students, faculty, and staff," His voice carried over the silence and brought with it a sense of foreboding.

Remus forgot Kairi's plight and set his undivided attention on the man before him. When Dumbledore made an announcement, everyone listened. The man had their respect. Even the usually unruly Slytherins fell silent.

"As you all know, Voldemort lives. This statement in itself is unnecessary; however, what I want you all to know is that we cannot simply count on Hogwarts to keep us safe anymore. Our walls and our protections have been breeched time and time again in these past five years."

Remus listened to Dumbledore and tried not to look at Harry as those words were said. Everyone knew that since Harry had been at Hogwarts the school had been infiltrated each year with increasing severity. Some even speculated, however ridiculously, that it was not Harry saving the school, but Harry drawing the enemy. Though depending how you look at it, both are true. Evil follows Harry, but Harry foils evil. It was only a matter of time until Voldemort himself moved in on them. The only thing keeping him at bay was Dumbledore, and Remus speculated that Dumbledore was too easily drawn away.

"This is why I must insist that everyone keep your eyes and ears open. Darkness can come from the most unlikely places." He paused here to let those words sink in. Evil could come from your friends, your family. Evil could even come from something as simply as a diary.

Dumbledore looked around the hall at all his students and sighed before speaking again. "The forest is, as always, very forbidden and no students are allowed within its boundaries. The curfew set down for the students to be in their houses will now be enforced with a severity that will keep even the prefects out of the halls without dire necessity backing them. If anyone else has reason to be out, have a teacher escort you," Dumbledore spoke in a way that said, in no uncertain terms, that these rules would be followed.

Remus looked down at his hands. It wasn't like Dumbledore to frighten the students like this. Was there something he knew that he wasn't sharing? Or maybe the incident at the ministry really had shaken the old man. There was really no telling with Dumbledore. He often kept his cards close to his chest, and even more often, hid them until it was too late. Remus would have to remember to ask the man what was troubling him.

He was contemplating the solemn way of the old man when Dumbledore's demeanor changed so suddenly that it almost made Remus jump.

"That having been said, I would like for you all to extend our warmest welcomes to the returning Professor Lupin, and the new Care of Magical Creatures Professor, Ms. Kairi Faye." There were some cheers around the hall, but not many outside of Gryffindor and Slytherin was almost completely silent. Dumbledore waited patiently for a moment then smiled and said cheerily, "Let's eat!"

The students seemed to have been taken a bit aback at the old headmaster's transition as well since it took them several moments after the food appeared on their plates to start eating.

Remus looked down at his own plate and smiled. Good old rare steak. Something deep inside him that should have been asleep by now growled with hunger, and he fed it.

Kairi twitched her fingers and tried not to act nervous as she walked down the corridor to where she knew Remus' room was.

Her feet padded soundlessly down the corridor but her heart pounded so loudly that she knew he would hear her coming.

**_Merlin, why am I so nervous? _**Her thoughts were whirling and she was anxious but for all of her she didn't know why.

**_Him… _**she admitted to herself. **_You are nervous because of him._** She shivered involuntarily as she let her thoughts wander back to the diner. The man sitting next to her, professor Snape, had given her more chills than she had been able to hide. There was something about him that scared her. The way he looked at her, like he knew more about her than she had ever spoken aloud. More than she knew about herself. He made her feel like he already knew _everything_.

**_No… that is absurd. _**She told herself. **_It must simply be the-_** Her thoughts were cut off sharply by her arrival at Remus' door. She hadn't remembered arriving there and was startled that she had gotten there so quickly without paying any attention. She shook herself mentally and raised her hand to knock on the door; and she paused.

Her ears twitched and she jumped backwards away from the door just as it swung violently open. It smashed through the place she had been standing moments before and hit the wall with a resounding thud. She slunk behind it as it bounced off the wall and peered around the thick wood at the retreating back of Severus Snape. His black robes billowed around him and he seemed to be in a hurry to get away from there. She pressed her back into the cold stone of the castle walls and steadied her breathing. That man had caught her off guard, which was something her mentor had taught her early on never to let happen. She was stupid to let him get to her like that. That was the way werewolves got slain.

The way he had appeared in her room with the wolfsbane potion told her in no uncertain terms that, if he was so inclined, he could get to her and she would never know.

Her body stilled and she felt her wolf senses take over. She sniffed the air, making sure Remus was still in the room… and alone. No more surprises.

She sighed with relief and stepped into the doorway, what she was going to say to him died on her throat when she saw him. He sat at his desk, bent low over it focusing intently on a book. The moon that shone through the open window was still swollen, having just begun to wane and the light from it hit him in a way that made him seem to glow.

Lust pulled her to him so strongly that she had made it to his desk, startling him, before she came back to her senses. Her hands tightened on the desk as if to steady her and she focused on a knot in the wood.

"Kairi," He asked her stupidly and put his book away. He looked up into her frightened face and felt the pull of some deep animal instinct; an instinct that pulled so violently he had to steel himself against jumping over his desk and tearing the clothes from her body. Carnal images of her under him flashed through his mind. Remus took a deep shuddering breath and forced himself to calm down.

Kairi had felt it too. But what had made her so scared was his reaction. His hands gripped the wood of his desk with an intensity that made his knuckles white. The prick of fear she had gotten from her encounter with Snape had triggered his wolf. Her wolf called to him and it wanted him to dominate her. She was never that submissive, but her wolf had practically rolled over and exposed its belly. Shit.

She had forgotten one of the biggest rules of being a werewolf, right up there with staying away from silver: No werewolf can resist the call of a potential mate. In some way, she had called him and he had fought the call.

The fact that he had managed that was a clear sign of why he had been so quickly recognized as a dominant. He must be very powerful.

She snapped back to reality when she felt his hands touch her shoulder. She jerked away from him for fear of arousing another reaction like that, and he looked hurt.

**_Does he really not realize what just happened? _**She asked herself, looking into his eyes. She looked him over and tried to understand the man in front of her. She thought she had him figured out back in Diagon Alley, but there was apparently more to Remus J. Lupin than he let on.

"Are you okay," he asked her gently, worryingly. The poor woman seemed about to faint but she had pulled away from him and was standing just fine, though maybe a bit shaky.

**_I have to get out of here. _**She looked at him and smiled weakly. There was this terrible moment of awkward silence while Kairi though of the best way to get away from him. **_That was not supposed to happen. _**She had a fleeting fear of him being as dangerous as the stories the muggles told when there was a sound from the doorway.

"Excuse me professor," a pale girl with dark hair said from the door. "I just wanted to stop by and tell you how _glad _I am you came back." Her voice came out in a purr and the skimpy length of her skirt escaped no one's notice.

Kairi growled and then noticed her opportunity.

"Oh, Professor Faye," she said, startled, having obviously hoped Remus would be alone. She pouted her overly reddened lips and said, "Am I, interrupting anything?" The whimper in her voice was audible, even to Remus who stiffened at the insinuation.

"No, I was just on my way out." She smiled at the girl and headed off through the door without a word.

Lavender's eyes never left Remus even as he watched until Kairi was gone from sight around the door.

"Are you glad to be back, professor?" She licked her lips.

He gazed at her and suddenly remembered one of the more awkward things about his last stay here. One of those things was standing right in front of him, and moving closer.

"Err… yes." He stammered. "Don't you think you are supposed to be in your common room already?"

She smiled at him mischievously and lifted herself up onto his desk spreading her legs just enough to show him she wasn't wearing any underwear. "Will you escort me?" She ran her fingers along her collar bone and batted her eyelashes at him.

He groaned and led the way out of his office. The headmaster had said that all students out after hours were to be escorted back to their common rooms by teachers. Who was he to say she had to escort herself?

He tried his best to ignore her and the way she swayed her hips seductively as if she was tempting him. He rolled his eyes and busied himself with the paintings on the walls and prayed no other professors would see him with her.

She suddenly stopped and turned to face him and he noticed she had somehow managed to unbutton her shirt a bit along the way.

**_Surely the girl has more tact than to jump me here in the hallway…_** Remus thought looking over her shoulder to see why she had stopped. She was standing in front of the door to the common room.

**_Oh… right._**

He chided himself for jumping to conclusions, even knowing how she had thrown herself at him in his office.

"Tuck me in?"

He groaned and turned on his heel, leaving her standing there to pant. He trusted she could find her way back to her room from there.

Hermione threw a shoe at Ron as Harry laughed. Ron dodged the lethal projectile and his eyes went wide when the next thing to reach her tiny fists was that giant copy of "Hogwarts: A History".

"Whoa, Hermione," Ron raised his hands as if to ward off the blow. "I thought we were past this."

"You were fine at the feast," Harry added quietly, afraid to draw attention to himself. Hermione looked at the two of them and sighed deeply, knowing they were right. She had no right to jump all over them now, after having been so nonchalant about it earlier.

I was just biding my time, and waiting to spare you from embarrassment at the feast," She stood there watching them to see if they would buy it.

"Well, Hermione, we honestly thought you might have been hurt when the trunk fell," Ron said.

Hermione looked at Harry who nodded fervently and something in her eyes softened. "You were just worried about me?" She asked, looking down at her feet.

The boys slowly moved in on her, and put her hands up. The boys just kept coming and wrapped their arms around her like they had at the Leaky Cauldron. Each was just glad she had stopped throwing things.

Hermione lay her head on Harry's shoulder and let Ron press himself into her back. She sighed, happy to have her boys back with her and she knew they felt the same.

A sound at the front of the common room tore them away from each other and they looked in unison at the fuming girl walking into the room.

The portrait swung shut behind her and only the light from the fire lit her angered face. She stalked past them grumbling. "Sure, Granger gets two guys at the same time and I can't even seduce one." She huffed and cursed all the way up the stairs to the girls dormitories. Her miniscule skirt flashed everyone left in the area as she stomped up the stairs.

Hermione snorted and headed up after her, tossing the boys a wayward glance the blush on her face from what Lavender had said still fresh on her face.

They looked at each other and smiled then broke out into fits of laughter. This was going to be an interesting year.

Up in her room, Hermione thought about the year ahead of her. The rest of her roommates were long since fast asleep and Hermione was glad for the silence.

**_There is a new professor. _**She thought to herself, remembering the woman who sat in Hagrid's place at the teachers table. **_I wonder why Hagrid isn't teaching this year? And I wonder who that woman is. _**She tried to think if the name meant anything to her, but she had never heard anything about her. Not that she really expected to, but the woman was utterly unremarkable. In fact, she had seemed downright twitchy al throughout dinner.

**_Professor Lupin is back. _**She remembered, nestling down in her blankets. She knew how hard it had been on Harry at first to lose his godfather and realized it must have been equally hard on Remus to lose his last childhood friend. **_Maybe coming back to this school will be good for him._** But her thoughts trailed to a certain Draco Malfoy and she knew that would probably not be the case. The awful git was probably owling the news to his father right this second to have Lupin sacked before his first day. No doubt the Slytherins would make his life as miserable as possible.

**_Well I won't let them. _**She decided, sitting up in bed. **_Neither will Ron and Harry, I'm sure. We will curse those prats before they have any chance to open their mouths! _**She slid back her hangings carefully and looked around her room to see if any of her room mates noticed the sound.

Ginny tossed slightly but the girl almost never stopped moving in her sleep so Hermione paid her no attention as she slipped out of bed. She reached down around her bed and fondled blindly until she found her robe. She cinched it around her waist tightly and padded out of her room.

Harry and Ron's room wasn't nearly as quiet as her own. Neville's snoring seemed to echo off the walls and it made Hermione stop and think about what she was doing. She wanted to tell the boys of her plan to watch out for Remus, yes. But what was she doing in the boy's dorm in the middle of the night?

She looked over at the drawn hangings of Harry and Ron's beds and stopped herself from getting any closer. There was nothing she wouldn't be able to tell then in the morning.

With that, she turned and left, swearing to herself it had nothing to do with the comment Lavender had made.

Kairi looked at her room and smiled. She was finally going to get to teach! She was going to get to do something useful with her life.

The house elves had already moved her trunk here and made her bed with her own linens. She ran her fingers over the familiar black blanket and red silk sheets. She didn't realize how quickly Hogwarts would feel like a home.

The room she was in was more like a house than a bedroom. She had her own living room, large bathroom with both a shower and a deep tub, and her bedroom adjacent to the bath. The walls were mostly bare, leaving her room to decorate and make it her own.

**_I think I could definitely stay here for a while. _**

She slipped out of her robes and was padding to her new bathroom when a glint on the windowsill caught her eyes. The bright metal sparkled innocently in the moonlight, pretending to be harmless even as the mere sight of it made her stomach clench.

She walked over to the goblet, and sneered down at its slightly smoking contents.

**_Wolfsbane! _**She wrapped her fingers around the goblet and opened the window. The cool breeze caressed her face as if to calm her. She looked out onto the grounds of her new home and hurled the potion, goblet and all, out of her window and slapped it shut. The glass shook violently at her anger and she took several deep breaths to keep her anger from rising. She was getting tired of this particular game.

**_I will have to talk to Dumbledore about this immediately. _**She scowled gathering her cloths to wrap her naked form.

As if on cue there was a knock on her door. One good sniff told her it was the headmaster himself.

**_Good. I need to talk to you too. _**

She walked through her bathroom and back to her living room where the entrance to her personal quarters was. She made sure her robe was cinched tight and she flung open the door.

If Dumbledore was shocked at her appearance he didn't show it, he merely nodded a greeting to her and asked to be let inside.

She maintained a cool anger and stepped aside to allow the old man to pass.

He glanced around the room with a feigned interest and Kairi wasn't sure if he was stalling or just being intrusive, so she spoke first.

"Tell Snape I will not be taking any wolfsbane potion and to keep it away from me," She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

Dumbledore continued his taking in of her room and things for almost a full minute before he slowly turned to her. "Do you like your room Ms. Faye?"

She resisted the urge to stomp her foot at him and simply nodded. "The potion, Albus."

He looked her in the eyes and sighed. "Why are you so against it? Do you even know what it does?"

"Of course I do. I have been a werewolf for a very long time, Albus. No human's blood has touched these hands, whether furred or not," She raised her wrists to him for emphasis. "I find it insulting that you would insinuate I need to be sedated to keep from terrorizing your school every full moon."

Dumbledore peered at her over his half moon spectacles and watched as she glared at him.

Kairi was about to say something else on her behalf when Dumbledore nodded.

He turned from her and walked towards the door his pale blue robes trailing behind him.

"The potion," She called after him.

"I will speak with Severus," Dumbledore called over his shoulder, opening her door to let himself out. "I apologize for the intrusion and the misunderstanding, Ms. Faye. I will make sure it is taken care of."

She waited until the door clicked shut and the room was silent around her again before she spoke.

"Thank you."

* * *

**(A/N) **Hey everyone, just so you know, its like really late and I have been staring at this screen for hours. I am going to trust my editor fully with this one, so if you see anything drastically wrong... please be nice.

**BIG NEWS! **I just started a forum for this fic which you can get to via my profile page. I am going to start keeping all my update info there **and** that way I can address any questions you may have about the story. Go check it out!


	7. The First Taste

**(A/N) **Hello all you loving fans. There is a scene in this chapter I hope you have been waiting for. Thus why the chapter is named "The first taste". So that bumps the rating up to PG-13. But, the illustrious Lavender Brown makes a "german spectacle of herself" but the innuendos might pass younger audiences over without harm.

* * *

"_It was the feeling you get when you wait your whole life for one moment, then one morning you wake up and it's today."_ -Deep Blue Sea

Chapter Seven: The first taste

Kairi had a brief moment of panic as she sat up in her bed. Her silken red sheets stirred the memory of blood from her dreams, but she had already forgotten whose it was as the dream faded. There was blood in her dreams again. That was never a good sign for anyone, let alone her.

She tried to force herself to remember the dream, hating it when her mind hid something from her. She focused on the fleck of blood in her memory, trying to fill in the picture around the tiny crimson fleck. The harder she focused on it, the blurrier it got until even the color was lost in a fog. She had a moment of unease before she let it go. Not all dreams were meant to be remembered.

She blinked against the bright morning light and vowed that the next thing she would add to the room would be thick curtains. She never was much of a morning person. It was only the thought of teaching her first class that finally succeeded in dragging her out of her warm bed and into the shower.

She looked between the familiar shower and the option of a warm bath. She ran her fingers over the cool marble and the many different knobs that promised different relaxing bubbles and scented lotions.

Despite the promise of the relaxing bath, Kairi opted for the shower. The warm rain like sensation pounded against her skin like a massage. She sat there breathing in the steam from the hot water.

The sudden thought of her first class hit her in the face. Nervousness twisted her stomach into a tight knot. Of course she had known that today was her first class, but until that moment in the shower she had looked at it with kind of a standoffishness that hadn't really let it _sink in_.

It was the feeling you get when you wait your whole life for one moment, then one morning you wake up and it's today.

**_This was it._** She thought as the steaming water pounded her back methodically. **_First impressions are everything._**

If she screwed up today, she might lose all her student's respect. She needed to make the lesson good and highly memorable.

What interesting new creatures could she show to the kids that would blow them away?

She figured that the first years would be happy with some hinkypunks and grindylows, they were going to be easy. It was her N.E.W.T level classes she was worried about. She didn't have anything to go off of as far as what the students had already been exposed to. She definitely wanted to avoid teaching them something again, that would just be embarrassing.

She wracked her brain for an idea as she turned off the water. Her feet hit the carpet and sent a jolt through her so powerful, she almost had to gasp. A painting on the wall giggled at her surprise. Kairi scowled at it and put her other foot on the carpet. A tingle went through her as she dried herself off.

She drug her hand over the mirror to remove the condensation, making a mental note to spell it against that later, and was shocked to see her own mischievously grinning face. Her smile rarely reached her eyes anymore. The gleam of innocence having been so sharply stolen from her she had thought it would never return. But as she stared at her smiling reflection, knowing that it was her and not someone else smiling back at her, she was struck with such admiration for this place. Hogwarts, and all the people in it, had given her a purpose. It had given her back her joy; and she would do _anything _to protect it.

A giggle from the painting brought her back from her thoughts and she glared at it. The creature coughed and sputtered before nonchalantly retreating behind the frame, thus escaping Kairi's piercing gaze.

She snorted and went back to the thoughts that jolt had brought her. Not only did she have a plan set out for her students, but she had one that was going to blow them away.

Her grin only widened as she waltzed over to her wardrobe, selecting the emerald green robes out of the sets of robes Remus had picked out from their shopping excursion and dressed. The rest of the time she spent in her room before she headed down to breakfast was spent humming.

* * *

Hermione picked at her food morosely. The boys were opposite her gorging themselves so fiercely she would almost swear they were racing one another, trying to see who could eat the most the fastest.

**_Either that or seeing who can make me hurl the fastest._**

She hadn't even gotten a chance to tell them about her idea to protect Professor Lupin yet and for the life of her, as she watched the two of them cram glob after glob of scrambled eggs into their mouths, she couldn't remember why the thought of sneaking into their rooms after hours had tempted her.

She scoffed as the answer to that question came strutting up to the Gryffindor table. Lavender Brown lifted her legs over the bench _much _higher than was necessary and flashed a wink over Hermione's shoulder. The girl then plopped herself down at the table and let her eyes slide over the food in front of her with a look in them that had no place at a breakfast table… at least not one at which Hermione was present.

Hermione watched as the girl's eyes lit with a mischievous spark and Lavender reached forward and wrapped her slim fingers around a particularly phallic banana.

Disgust overcame Hermione strongly as the ridiculously obvious girl removed the peel and began to abuse the fruit in a way that she had no words to describe.

For a moment, Lavender's "service" of the banana went on like a train wreck, something she couldn't stop staring at because it was so horrific, before she simply had to look at something else.

That was when she saw Remus. He was sitting at the breakfast table trying abysmally to hide himself behind his pumpkin juice. She had a moment to wonder what he was hiding from when she saw the poor wolf blush so fiercely she almost felt sorry for him. Lavender must be putting on that display for him. …how disconcerting.

That was when she remembered her plan. She suddenly had a vision of hexing young Ms. Brown with some sort of ice spell to cool her off under the pretense that she was antagonizing Professor Lupin. Hermione had to stifle a giggle.

**_That's right; I still need to tell Ron and Harry about my idea. _**

Hermione turned back to the table to see if the boys had stopped stuffing themselves silly long enough to discuss her plans. Her words, however, died on her throat when she saw that the boys had not only seen the display, but seemed to be enjoying it.

She was about to kick them both under the table when a little first year girl sat down beside her.

"Good morning, Hermione," the little girl Hermione remembered to be Rebecca said. She smiled at her and returned the girl's greeting warmly. She grinned up at Hermione with eyes so deeply blue that when their eyes locked, for that moment, all Hermione could think of was a faint sense of calm. She tried to wrap her mind around it but the little girl blinked and the feeling dissipated.

Rebecca blinked at Hermione for a few seconds, as if she wanted to say something, but then thought better of it. She lowered her head, as if embarrassed and didn't look back up. Hermione almost wanted to reach out and touch the girl's white blond hair to reassure her that it would be okay. Whatever she had done, or not done was no big deal, but something inside her told her not to.

Hermione looked back at Harry and Ron and felt a tug as if she had wanted to say something to them. As if she might have just been agitated at them, but couldn't for the life of her remember why.

The boys just blinked at her stupidly as if they were stunned that she seemed to be, for the moment, speechless.

It didn't take long for the cloud on Hermione's mind to lift and she looked at the innocent girl in a whole new light. She wasn't sure what had just happened but Rebecca was steadily not meeting her gaze. She seemed highly intent on her breakfast, so, for the moment, Hermione left it alone.

She spared one last glance at the boys and stood up from the table. There had been enough excitement at this breakfast for one day and she had a lot to think about. Namely that little girl with the startling blue eyes.

So Hermione headed towards the one place that provided her solace and the knowledge of hundreds upon hundreds of witches and wizards before her right at her eager fingertips.

Her favorite place in the whole castle: the library.

* * *

Remus tried to focus his eyes on anyone or anything in the room other than Lavender. He was even trying to carry on a conversation with Professor Binns to keep himself distracted. Unfortunately, that was about as helpful as spotting the exact moment when a flower blooms while having your leg amputated by a very determined doctor whose only tool is a toothpick.

Remus groaned inwardly when he noticed Parvati Patil had joined her, but with a speared sausage. Watching the juices run down her face was just too disturbing. Did he really look that desperate?

**_Okay, I think I have had quite enough breakfast._** He stood from the table and, after giving his apologies to Professor Binns and promising to postpone their discussion on the Goblin Wars to a later date, he made a hasty exit from the grand hall.

There was a condescending chuckle from behind him and Remus didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Why Professor Lupin; this sort of carrying on usually doesn't begin until at least after your first class. Why the need to start early?"

Remus tried to suppress a growl but failed and snarled back at him, "Can it, Severus." Not much of a snappy comeback, but with everything that girl was throwing at him he was a little on edge. He even had a double class with the Gryffindor's that morning. He was sure the girl would be there. That was just his luck after all.

The sound of his footsteps hitting the cold stone floor brought him out of his reverie and he noticed he was a lot further down the hall to his classroom than he expected.

He stopped himself and leaned against the wall of the castle, running his fingers through his soft brown hair with a sigh.

He remembered the last time he was a teacher, but Lavender had been much younger and much more innocent in her third year. Sure she had given him a little smile here and there, but he had never so much as hinted an interest. The girl had been thirteen for Merlin's sake! What had gotten into her, _**or who **he chuckled to himself, _over the past three years to get her all hot and bothered over an old werewolf?

He opened his eyes and that was when he saw her. She rounded the corner in the emerald robes he was suddenly eternally glad he had picked out for her. They fit her to perfection, accentuating all the right places and draping over all the rest to give a watery flow that spilled confidence all around her. She smiled when she met him in the hall and he felt that pull deep inside him that wanted to touch her.

She stopped in front of him and licked her lips making the pull stronger. He wanted to say something to her but he couldn't trust himself to move, even in the slightest. It was taking all his control not to grab her, just to feel the pale skin he was sure was softer than the robes that covered her.

Her mouth moved and he was drawn to it like a moth to the flame. It was as if he had been blind for all his life and the first thing he saw for real, was her.

Then two things happened at once. He heard a noise behind him, and turned his head on reflex. Apparently Lavender and Parvati had followed him out of the grand hall, wanting a try at him when he was alone.

The other was that Kairi reached out and touched his arm.

* * *

Hermione Granger groaned inwardly at her own lack of responsibility as she turned out of the library and headed back to breakfast.

**_I can't believe I forgot my bag…_**

She hurried down the corridor, listening to the sound of her shoes on the stone, and tried not to run.

* * *

Remus would later say he had done it on impulse, to get rid of the girls. To make them leave him alone. Surely they could take a hint if it was screamed in their faces…

But what really happened was that in the instant her fingers brushed his arm, he lost it. That tiny contact of flesh sent a spark through him that made him grab her and throw her up against the wall and smash his lips on hers. He kissed her like she was air and water and he needed both desperately. The sheer feel of her pressed so tightly against him drove him wild.

There was a vague sensation in the back of his mind that this was inappropriate. That Hogwarts did not condone this kind of behavior between teachers. But everywhere her skin touched his burned like it was on fire and that was the only thing he cared about.

She moaned into his mouth and that one small sound threw his inhibitions to the wind. Embarrassment he could deal with later, life he could deal with later, all that mattered to him was never letting her go.

She whimpered softly and that seemed to help him come out of it just a little bit. He softened his attack and turned bruising intensity and raw need into gentle passion. He raised his hands to either side of her face, cupping her there so he could continue his ministrations. He flicked his tongue against her lower lip, asking permission now, rather than demanding.

Kairi melted against him, granting the permission he seemed to so desperately need. Something deep within him growled at her submission. The sound came out low in his throat. The taste of her was life-breathing and spread through him like raw power but at the same time soothed him deeper than he knew his troubles had run.

It was like your first taste of pure sugar; so sweet you wanted nothing more than to take as much in as possible and roll the flavor around on your tongue. He wanted to savor the taste of her like melting sugar. Like a rare candy.

Her initial reaction had been to fight him, her wolf telling her she was trapped, but once he softened the kiss she couldn't deny the heat spreading through her at his obvious need. Nor could she deny the longing she felt when his pants tightened, pressing his arousal into her soft belly.

She instinctively ran her hands up his back to rest on his neck, pulling him down deeper. Her fingers ground into him, grabbing handfuls of his hair.

Remus shivered and released her mouth, leaving her gasping. He tried to focus on the wall to regain some control but his eyes caught on the flutter of a pulse at the base of her throat. He lowered his lips to that frantic movement and kissed her lightly, trying to calm her. Something more animal than man told him to press more than his lips against that frantic movement. The wolf inside him wanted to sink teeth into that ivory flesh and do something Remus didn't even have a word for. _Something between love and pain, something between mark and claim._

He flicked his tongue over that soft flesh and reveled in the sheer taste of her skin.

She sighed and held him like that while he kissed her neck until he was satisfied her pulse had returned to normal. Doing so had also calmed him by proxy, but he would never admit to that out loud. It had given him something to focus on other than the sharp contrasts between their bodies. Everywhere he was tough and so very hard, she was soft and warm.

Kairi looked into his steel gray eyes and opened her mouth to speak when something over Remus' shoulder caught her eyes.

When they widened in surprise, he slowly tore his gaze from her, somewhat glad for the distraction from his disgustingly wonderful lack of self control and his eyes went wide as well.

Not but three feet in front of them was a sputtering, speechless, Hermione Granger.

Lupin eased out of Kairi's embrace, trying not to startle the poor girl and send her running. Her eyes flashed back and forth between the two Professors before she collected herself and straightened, as if determined to show that what she had witnessed was perfectly normal behavior for a teacher and didn't bother her in the slightest.

Remus winced. He hated to lose a piece of the girl's respect. She had been a favorite of his ever since she kept his secret in her third year. He was suddenly ashamed of himself for doing something that would make the witch think less of him. One never knew when a fair bit of her trust would come in handy.

"I was just returning to the hall. I forgot my book bag," she explained, brushing the hair off her shoulders and passing them by without a backward glance.

Both Kairi and Remus followed her retreat until they met another set of eyes. This pair, however, was very angry and attached to Ms. Lavender Brown. Behind her stood a sobbing Parvati Patil, both of which seemed to have seen the whole thing.

It wasn't the crying Parvati that worried him, however, but the silently fuming Lavender.

Her fists were clenched so tightly that Remus could see the whites of her knuckles, and her eyes were red like the blood her nails were beginning to draw from her tiny hands. She was also glaring through him to the innocent woman at his back. It was her silence that really scared him. So much so, that he wanted to pull Kairi against him and protect her from Lavender; to hide her from the girl's undue wrath.

He had no reason to think Lavender would actually _hurt _Kairi just because he had kissed her; but something about the way she was looking at her made him nervous.

Thank Merlin, the school chose that moment to ring the first bell. Lavender stood there for a full minute before she pulled herself and Parvati up and headed down the hallway.

He sighed and let it sink in what had just happened; embarrassment at his actions finally hit him. His heart sunk down into his stomach and he suddenly did not know what he was going to say to the girl behind him.

Remus slowly turned to try and explain himself but Kairi was gone.

* * *

Dumbledore paced back and forth in his study. His hands gripped tightly behind his back as he tried not to look back at the thing on his desk. It swirled and glowed with a light all its own. Beauty emanated from its contents, the essence was caught somewhere between shimmering glass and the clearest of waters. But, Dumbledore knew, that what was awaiting him, should he look into the bowl, was nothing he wanted to see. Still the bowl gleamed a faux innocence at him, beckoning him to peer over into the glassy surface.

**_Surely not, _**Dumbledore thought to himself. **_Surely I was mistaken in what I saw…_**

He jaded himself and took a step back towards the swirling contents of the silver bowl. He knew that this time, if he looked into that bowl, it would not show him what he though he would see. It would be something nicer; maybe some unicorns frolicking about in a rainbow or something. Surely…

Fawkes shuffled his fingers in warning, calling out a song to sooth the frustrated and worried old man. Dumbledore took the song for what it was and ran him long fingers over the bird's brilliantly colored feathers.

Dumbledore took a step away from the bird and continued towards the bowl. He steeled himself and as the phoenix continued to sing, he peered over the bowl.

He sighed sadly and stared down into the swirling vortex. He dared not touch the contents, he did not know what the effect would be. Instead he gingerly picked up the bowl and moved it across the room, hiding the offensive object in a cupboard.

**_How juvenile, _**he thought to himself but this was a problem that the old wizard did not know how to handle. He paced through his office, passing the dish of colorful candies without sparing them a second glance.

Fawkes lifted himself gracefully off of his perch and flew to perch on Dumbledore's shoulder. He continued his song a little more softly but the old man's nerves would not settle.

Dumbledore looked around his room, there were several open spaces on his shelves where the things Harry had smashed last year no longer stood. He had blatantly refused to replace the items or even fix them. They would serve as a reminder of the horrible mistake he had made.

**_A mistake, _**he thought, glancing back at the cupboard that hid the silver bowl, **_that I will not be making again. Ever._**

**_

* * *

(A/N) _**

So, I hope you like the chapter, and I would like to add that I have created a **forum** for this fic. Check it out if you have any questions you want answered. Or if you spot a mistake or something, feel free to send me an e-mail or pop it in your review, whatever. I want this story to be the best it can be, and my poor editor doesn't always catch my mistakes. 

On a side note, if you are curious as to why Lavender is taking such a bad personality in this fic, you should go read "Pre Flight" from "GD-7". You will understand my hatred for her then. If you are a fan of Lavender... well... oops.


	8. The Unexpected

**(A/N) **Hey there is a rather improtant author's not at the end of the chapter (I only put them there if they are important, by the way)please look at it.

* * *

_"A wise man is one who sees the storm coming before the clouds appear." -_Elbert Hubbard

Chapter Eight: The Unexpected

* * *

Harry looked at Ron with indignation at the classroom that was still near empty. They had less than a minute before their first class of the year started and Hermione was nowhere in sight. Then again, neither was their professor. 

His classroom was put back to exactly as it had been when he had left it. The skeleton of a dragon hung from the ceiling, its jaws hung open to display rows of dagger-like teeth. Its wingspan spread across the room over their heads. In their first years, it had fascinated them, now they were used to it. Such is the life if a wizard. Nothing is amazing anymore.

Harry sighed heavily and took a seat towards the front of the room. Ron sat so that there was a seat between them. Hermione would never forgive them if she had to sit at the back of the room for Remus' first lesson. At one point in time, the boys might have been worried about her. Perhaps even enough to leave the classroom to go and find her. Now they knew better.

The room began to fill quickly once they sat down. They had double DADA with Hufflepuff. A fact for which Harry was grateful, since a class with Slytherin would not be a good way for Lupin to start off the year.

Harry looked over his shoulder when a spark went up his spine. He had to smile when his eyes met with a rather furious Lavender Brown.

The very air around her seemed to crackle with rage. Her eyes danced with fire and everyone around her gave her a wide berth as she entered the classroom and found a seat for Parvati and herself. The twin, Padma, looked at her sister and her best friend in dismay. She shook her head.

Harry looked back at Ron who ran a hand through his tousled red hair and sighed something about women and politics. Somehow Harry knew that Ron understood more about the situation than he let on. Harry had to smile.

The late bell rang right as Lupin walked into the classroom. He avoided everyone's eyes as he moved to the front of the room. Everyone fell silent when he reached the front of the room and turned to meet their eyes. They had waited through all last year wishing and hoping for a real teacher, someone who had first hand experience with the Dark Arts. That someone was standing right in front of them.

Lupin took a deep breath and spoke, his voice resounded around the room to fall on the ears of his students.

"Welcome to sixth year N.E.W.T. level Defense Against the Dark Arts," he gave a dramatic pause. "What you may expect to learn in this year, you cannot expect to see in many books, and some of you will not even master it at all-"

Right at that moment, Hermione chose to burst into the room, cutting Remus effectively off in mid-sentence.

She almost stomped to the front of the room where Harry and Ron had held her a seat. She flopped down unceremoniously and pulled out her book, slamming it down on the desk.

Harry and Ron looked at her with wide eyes and then at each other behind her bushy head. They shared a nervous look and tried to pry her for information about her lateness and the dramatic entrance but she stared up at the front of the room, unblinking as Professor Lupin continued with his speech, choosing to ignore Hermione's late entrance.

Harry grimaced at Hermione and her audacity as she slammed her book down on her desk. Somewhere behind him, Lavender did the same.

Something was definitely going on. Harry bit his bottom lip to keep from asking her again. She would tell them when they weren't in class, he was sure. Hermione did, after all, tell them everything.

Lupin went on to tell them about the curriculum which would include apparition lessons and learning to cast spells without using words. Another part, to which Harry visibly flinched, was Occlumency.

**_Great, _**Harry thought **_at least I won't have to continue my "remedial potions" with Snape. _**That, at least, brought a smile to his face.

After the bell had rung and the class had more or less emptied, Harry and Ron gathered their things and ushered Hermione out of the room, eager to see what it was that was bothering her. They had almost reached the door and were turning to interrogate her when Lupin spoke up from behind his desk.

Hermione's eyes went wide and she turned slowly as if there was something from a nightmare waiting behind the desk and if she didn't see it, then maybe it wouldn't get her.

"Hermione, may I speak with you for a moment?" Remus asked her tentatively.

She nodded to the boys and told them she would catch up with them in Transfiguration. Ron gave her a look but Harry grabbed him by the arm, sure their talk had to do with her being late, and dragged him off the scene.

Hermione turned on her heel and marched back into the room. She knew what she was in trouble for, and it was his fault! He had no right to be angry with her. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to speak.

"Hermione, I," Remus turned to look into her big brown eyes, wanting for all the world to see the respect there he once had. "I want to apologize to you."

Hermione dropped her hands and her eyes softened. That wasn't what she expected.

"That was not appropriate actions for a teacher and I feel like I have… made a remarkable arse of myself," he grinned at her, trying to make light of the situation.

"She smiled and laughed, her eyes dancing. "You're right, you did."

He gave her an apologetic look, waiting for her to say more, which of course, she did not.

"Would you be offended if I asked you to keep another secret for me?" He had the gall to look sheepish.

Hermione thought about it for a moment then extended her hand. "Promise not to tell on me for being late?"

"You have yourself a deal, Ms. Granger," Remus extended his hand, but the second his fingers brushed hers startling images flashed through his head.

He saw her on top of him, looking up at him with those innocent brown eyes. Her hands brushed against his waist, just under the hem of his pants which she efficiently removed.

Remus came out of it jerking his hand back like he had just been burned. His eyes widened in shock as the dream from the shrieking shack rocked through him. He groaned as the sensations hit him and he grabbed the desk fiercely his knuckles turning white.

"Professor," The way she said it, letting it roll off her tongue like a caress made him shiver and he shut his eyes against the images flying through his mind.

"You may go now, Ms. Granger," he snapped. He needed to get her away from him as quickly as possible.

Remus wasn't sure when she left, or how long he had been sitting there with a death grip on his desk, but when the images stopped and he opened his eyes, she was gone.

He sighed heavily wishing that dream had stayed forgotten.

He rubbed his eyes and stood, deciding he needed to take a walk. He had some time between now and his next class.

* * *

Kairi looked with disdain at her N.E.W.T. class. There were only a handful of people in attendance, and she didn't expect many more to show up. She sighed deeply and looked at the group that was undoubtedly Slytherins. 

Draco Malfoy had his arm around a little black haired boy she knew was Blaise Zabini. Several others were gathered around the two and they all seemed to be ignoring everyone else in the vicinity, including herself.

**_Well,_** She chuckled spitefully;**_ I know how to get their attention. _**

She whistled sharply and out of the trees walked a creature none of the students had ever seen in person.

It was taller than a normal man and walked on thick legs. The head came into the light and held the visage of a beautiful woman; the body however, was that of a large lion.

"A sphinx," Draco said in awe, looking the creature over.

The sphinx looked at the students with varying interest, her solid black eyes sending shivers down their spines.

Draco leered at Kairi, "How did you get one of those? They are supposed to be untrainable, and very dangerous."

Kairi replied, not missing a beat, "You would be very surprised at what one can find wandering this particular forest, Mr. Malfoy. As for the trainability, I would not so quickly jump to conclusions about _any _animal." The sphinx flicked her tail in response. "Your last teacher, Hagrid, was able to domesticate animals most people don't ever survive encounters with. The blast-ended-skrewts are one such example. You do know he got them from cross breading a manticore with a fire crab, yes? How many manticores have _you _ever seen domesticated?"

Draco drew himself up as if to look intimidating and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for her to continue.

She smiled and turned back to the sphinx, who met her gaze. "The trick with any animal, magical or otherwise, is to know how to calm it. You will all do good to remember that. Does anyone know what makes a sphinx dangerous?"

"You mean other than those huge claws?" Lavender sneered. She must have gotten off on the wrong foot with the girl… **_can't imagine how._**

There was nervous laughter around the group before Luna Lovegood spoke up. "They speak only in riddles and will attack the person who is incapable of answering."

Kairi nodded to her. "This is a common misconception. The sphinx will only attack if they are guarding something. If you come across one who isn't then they are almost harmless. In fact, some of them even desire the conversational qualities of humans beyond riddles." The sphinx at her back snorted in response, making Kairi smile.

The class warily took a step towards the lioness who regarded them each in turn. Kairi explained to the class how to tell if a sphinx is guarding something and what to do in the event of an encounter. Then, and this is the part that the students found the most interesting, was how to convince the creature to become docile.

"You must ask her a riddle. If she cannot figure it out, she will respect you and not kill you," Kairi smiled and laughed. "Then you can do most anything from talking with them to getting them to guard something of value to you."

The students took turns answering riddles and asking her some in return, though some of them were able to answer her riddles, none were able to stump her in return.

Luna was one of the students to figure hers out, and instead of asking a riddle in return, she conversed with the beast on whether or not there was really an animal called a nargle. The sphinx seemed to mistake the question as a riddle and until Kairi assured her the girl was being serious, thought she had been beaten.

This was taken to great amusement by the other students in the class and Kairi sighed in relief that they had enjoyed themselves.

The bell rang dismissing them for lunch and Kairi watched them go with a smile. She turned to the sphinx and grinned, she wanted desperately to thank the creature but a small nod was all was needed. The sphinx turned and walked slowly into the forest.

The year was officially off to a good start.

* * *

Hermione stopped in her tracks when she saw her. Rebecca. She was standing in the middle of the hallway, staring at the portrait of the Fat Lady. She must have heard Hermione approach, because she turned those big blue eyes on her and smiled. Hermione saw she must be upset about something because the girl was crying. 

"Hermione," She said with a slight strain in her voice. "I think the password was changed without anyone telling me because I can't get in. I've been trying for ages," she sputtered, tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

Hermione forgot her original wariness of the girl brought on by the incident at breakfast and took a moment to remember what it meant to be a first year. As Head Girl, it should have been her responsibility to make sure everyone knew that the password had been changed. Somehow this girl had managed to not be informed.

She turned to the Fat Lady and said, "Bravery".

The portrait swung inward with a creak and the little girl bounced inside. Hermione smiled and followed her.

The sight of Ron and Harry brought her out of her reverie.

"What happened before Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hermione?" Ron asked

Hermione started to tell them about what she saw in the hallway when something stopped her. She remembered the sheepish look on Remus' face when he asked her to keep her secret; the gleam in his eyes when he kissed Professor Faye in the hallway. She couldn't spoil that for him. Not when it had been so long since she had seen him happy. The old wolf almost ran from happiness, and after Sirius died, she hadn't expected to see him smile ever again.

The boys were still waiting for her response so she quickly lied, "I just got caught up in the library."

Ron looked at her with indignation, as if he knew she wasn't telling them everything. Hermione looked down at the floor so as not to let her eyes give anything away and her eyes caught on the smoke filled silver ring on her finger. The once pale storms inside it now swirled with a deep orange color. She glanced over at the boy's rings and saw that they were doing the same.

For a moment she forgot she was supposed to be looking innocent while she though about the rings odd behavior. It gave her something else to think about. She thought about it and one word came into her mind.

_Shame._

**_Where had that thought come from? _**Surely she felt a little bad about lying to the boys but she was keeping-

**_The ring can tell when we are lying to each other? _**She thought about it for a moment and realized that it was true. She hadn't really felt bad until she looked at the ring. That thought made her grin to herself and she looked back up at the boys. **_I will have to remember that. _**

They hadn't noticed the rings, as they had little reason to look at their hands at that moment. All their attention was on her. She chose the moment to change the subject.

"Ron, didn't you make sure everyone in Gryffindor knew the password?" Ron though about it for a moment, scratching his head.

"I thought I had. Who didn't- wait a tick, don't change the subject. What were you doing hung up in the library before you have even started your first class?"

**_Damn…_**

_Shame. _The feeling filled her mind again when she glanced down to the orange storm so she opted for a closer version of the truth.

"I was concerned with how people would treat Professor Lupin, knowing that he is a werewolf, so I was devising a plan," the ring dulled only slightly, but that would have to do. There was no way she was going to ruin Lupin's love life over a little honesty. She had kept secrets from the boys before.

Harry's eyes darkened and he sighed. "I was worrying about that to. But what can we do? It's not like we can hex everyone who speaks out against him," Harry replied dimly.

"Actually," Hermione said with a grin, "we can."

Ron snorted with laughter as she led the three of them over to a secluded part of the common room.

"I was looking up the rules and regulations of Hogwarts students using magic against one another," her eyes danced as she finally got a chance to tell them of her plan. "As long as it's nothing serious, the worst thing they can do to us is give us detention. What's a little detention between friends?"

"I don't know, Hermione," Harry said grimly. "Doesn't that seem a little out of line? Don't you think the professor can take care of himself?"

"But," Ron put in, "If he retaliates against the wrong person, say, Draco Malfoy, a certain father might be called in to have him sacked for undue violence."

"Dumbledore would never allow it!" Harry scoffed. He had full faith that Dumbledore would be watching such things very closely and knew Lupin was a kind person. 'No students will be harmed in the hiring of this werewolf.'

Ron agreed with Harry, much to Hermione's shock.

"Merlin, this is just like S.P.E.W. all over again," she rolled her eyes. "Lupin is our friend, why are you two so object to watch his back against rude little prats?"

"Look, Herm. Why don't we step back and let the guy take care of himself?"

* * *

Remus walked the hallways that night. The slim moon peered in on him through an open window. He didn't need "lumos" to walk these halls; he knew them by heart. His ventures with James, Sirius, and Peter had taught him more in a few short years than most ever hoped to know. 

**_And without the Marauder's Map, most of them never will. _**

Remus could still remember the time in his third year when Harry had been caught with the map. Just seeing it had brought back so many memories. He had though it eternally ironic that James' son had ended up with the map they had created. How life has a way of repeating itself.

He let the darkness of the empty corridor fill his vision, but it was never truly dark. As a werewolf, whether he liked it or not, he had extraordinary night vision.

Remus walked through the castle nonchalantly checking empty classrooms for out of bed students. His mind was elsewhere however and there may have well been students making mad, mad, passionate love in one of the rooms he checked for all the attention he was paying his task. All he could think about was Kairi. The kiss they had shared in the hallway still burned hot on his lips, the feel of her under his hands…

Remus opened a door and the moon shone brightly at him through an open window. He glanced over at it when caught his eyes. There was a portrait hanging on the wall of a beautiful woman in a moonlight clearing. She was wearing an elegant evening gown of ocean blue. Her thick brown hair cascaded over her bare shoulders, her deep green eyes shone mischievously at him reflecting the light of the full moon. She was not what had caught his attention, however. Neither was the moon, for that matter. The thing that had caught his attention was the creature sitting completely docile under the palm of the woman's hand.

There was no mistaking that size or build for any dog, or even a normal wolf. He knew it in the way the animal stood, the arch of the neck and the angle of the head. He knew it in the color of the animal's eyes, not yellow but a glowing color like molten gold.

As he watched the painting, the woman stroked the animal and it shut its eyes; content. She smiled at it and whispered something under her breath into the werewolf's ears. It bared a set of gleaming white fangs in what Remus swore was a smile.

He reached out a hand to touch the painting, when the werewolf snapped its eyes open and snarled. The woman eyed Lupin warily but calmed the beast, stroking its fur in a way that seemed to soothe him.

Those eyes of molten gold stayed trained on Remus until he left the room. He had never heard of a werewolf acting so… domesticated… before. Sure he had been controlled when he transformed with Sirius, James, and Peter, but that was with them ready to take him down at any moment. That werewolf was sitting silently under her hand.

He looked at the woman more closely then, to see if she had the animal under any sort of spells or charms. There were none. He looked into her eyes and felt a sweet calm overtake him. He smiled at her and she smiled back, continuing to stroke the werewolf. Her eyes were more like oceans than her dress: unfathomably deep. As he watched her, she began to hum.

"Remus," A voice from the corridor called him out of his thoughts. McGonagall was standing there in the hall, looking at him like he was a complete stranger. That's when Remus took in his surroundings. He was no longer in the room with the strange painting; he was standing at the entrance to the owlery where McGonagall was sending something off.

"Are you alright, Remus?" She looked worried for him, and honestly, he was a bit scared too. How had he gotten all the way up to the owlery without realizing it? A minute ago he was on the third floor making his rounds.

"I'm sorry, Minerva. I thought you were a student out of bed," he lied then quickly turned and headed back to his private quarters, not wanting to hear her reply.

When he got to his room, he ran his fingers through his hair and tried to figure out what had happened.

**_One minute I was looking at that painting… and the next… _**his eyes widened with realization. **_It must have been the painting! _**But he knew it even as he said it that paintings didn't have the ability to overpower the mind of a wizard. It was an odd painting, but not that odd.

**_Still… _**Remus figured it couldn't hurt to go give it another look. And as he thought that, he also tried to tell himself it had nothing to do with figuring out more about the domestication of the werewolf, and the power the woman seemed to have over it.

It was just a painting after all…

* * *

**(A/N) **Hey everyone, there is something that has been nothering me as of late. How hard is it to get off your lazy ass and write a review? This fic has been read over 500 times at last count and only **_SIX _**of those people have stopped to leave me a review or two. (Not counting my friends, because they obviously don't count ) Thats just ridiculous. I don't really care **WHAT **you say at this point, so long as you say **SOMETHING**. Shameless praise, the single line "Please update soon", or for the more interested: questions; so long as you say something. Let me know who you are when you read. This is what will make my story grow and change. Without it this fic will putter into nothing and I might just let _Lavender_ out to play. Trust me, she could really wreak some havok on our poor Remus J. Lupin. That having been said, below is a not from my editor saying pretty much the same thing. Except I think she threatens you or something... whatever.

By the way, I know the classes are going to be pretty redundant in this fic seeing as how all the things they need to learn you read in HBP. So I will try to avoid writing any repetitive scenes. In fact, I won't write any more classroom scenes at all unless they have some significance.

**(E/N) **Hello Readers! It's your friendly neighborhood Bunny Editor, Rini here! And I have a teensy tinsy itsy bitsy favor to ask. REVIEW! Please! My dearest authoress has stressed the importance of these reviews again and again, and I wish to say that if I am to be held in suspense it won't be because people won't review, please take a moment of your time and write a review with a few comments and suggestions or questions even! Something, anything but only the sentence "Please update soon". Thank you for reading and have a good day.

Rini

P.S. Death shall come quickly to those who don't review!


	9. More of Nothing

_Well everyone, this is my chapter nine. I am really sorry it took so long for me to update but for some reason I have lost all inspiration to continue this fic. I don't know why, but I just don't know what happened. This was like the hardest chapter I have ever had to write. So take that into consideration when you review. If you like it, tell me, I need some voices here. _

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_The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once _

_--Albert Einstein_

Chapter Nine: More of Nothing

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Remus awoke the next morning to a splitting headache. He winced sharply when the light hit his eyes and he jerked the blankets over his head to block out the light.

He sat there for several moments, before reaching over and blindly fumbling for his wand, which he used to shut the drapes over that vile window.

The pain behind his eyes receded, though only slightly, and Remus grumbled his irritation. This felt like a hangover, one to rival those he used to get after his all-nighters back in the wild Hogwarts days, but he knew he hadn't drunk anything last night.

Remus stood groggily, trying to remember what in the hell had happened to him last night to give him this terrible headache. He tried tentatively to prod at the memory of last night but the pain intensified to a point where he knew it was useless to think about anything until he had it cleared up.

His partying days with Sirius and the girls they wound up with had taught him the one magic cure for a hangover of this magnitude, and it was far less conspicuous than the muggle concoction involving an egg yolk and other such nonsense: a dark room and a hearty breakfast.

He would have chuckled at the many times he and Sirius had woken this very same way with girls in their beds, the names of which they would never remember, only to skive off the pain with something as simple as food, the saltier the better.

Not caring how he looked right then, knowing no matter how bad it was, he had always looked worse, he started towards the entrance to his quarters with the intention of going down to breakfast. Then he stopped himself.

**_Maybe I should take my breakfast in my room this morning, _**he thought, surprised at his mind's own coherence. His head just hurt too much to deal with another disturbing scene from Lavender, not to mention he would have to face Kairi. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he squashed it.

**_I am not hiding from anything. It was just a banana and it was just a kiss. Everything is not about me. _**He let the mantra flow over him as he sent for a house elf to bring him some breakfast and one of the muggle concoctions just for good measure.

He crawled on all fours into his bathroom, blessedly the darkest room in his quarters since there were no windows, and collapsed to the cold tiled floor. He let his face press into the smooth texture and was about to drift off to sleep again when someone hit him right between the eyes with a sledgehammer.

Remus yelped with pain and sat up holding his head, the heel of his hands digging into his eyes in an attempt to dull the pain throbbing there. The ringing in his head blurred his vision, so all he was able to make out, when he cracked them open to see his assailant, was a small form before the sledgehammer came in for round two.

He cried out and fell to his knees shielding his head from another murderous onslaught, he was in no position to defend himself against the brutal attacks and he felt as though one more would split his head in two. He was weighing the pros and cons of death by migraine when there was a quiet voice behind him.

"Sir sent for some breakfast?"

…**_oh… _**Remus looked rolled his eyes up to meet the gaze of Dobby who he miraculously recognized through the blur his vision had become.

"Dobby is knocking, sir, but there is no answer," the elf squeaked, appearing for all the world ready to be struck.

**_Okay, no sledgehammer, the elf was just… knocking. _**Remus groaned and grumbled a thank you to the elf, knowing his grunts were completely incoherent but all he wanted right now was for the pain to stop.

"Will sir be taking his breakfast here on the floor?" Dobby looked confused as he looked between the tray in his hands and the near incapacitated werewolf on the floor.

Remus nodded, the cold tile still pressed against his cheek, and closed his eyes against focusing on the little elf any loner.

He heard Dobby set the tray down and just the aroma of the fresh bacon perked him up a small bit. He cracked an eye open and called to the little elf's retreating back.

"Dobby," Dobby turned his wide eyes on Remus, "Let's keep this between the two of us, shall we?" Dobby nodded, grinning. "Dobby isn't telling anyone, sir." Remus suddenly got the impression that this was not the first time the elves had dealt with this particular situation. The thought made him smile slightly.

Remus sighed, closed his eyes again, and sniffed the tray from where it sat only inches away. He decided to bite the bullet and go for the egg thing first.

He pinched his nose and downed it in what he hoped would be an attempt at keeping it off his taste buds, a failed attempt however as he nearly lost the whole thing on his bathroom floor.

**_I think I just drank… tar. _**He resisted the urge to _scourgify _his tongue as he moved on to the rest of his breakfast.

It was almost as if Remus blinked and the breakfast was gone. He knew he had been famished, but truly, he hadn't eaten that much that quickly in a very long time.

The pain in his head had receded to a tolerable level and he took the opportunity to scrape himself up off the floor and prepare for his day. He used the corner of the bathroom sink to heft himself up and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Eyes of molten gold flashed at him from under his unruly mass of hair. That's when he remembered. The painting, the woman, the werewolf… those eyes. He remembered leaving the room, but after that… nothing… until he got to the owlry.

Remus rubbed his eyes sharply and blinked several times. When he looked again they were his normal soft brown color. But, for a moment, it had been as if his werewolf was looking at him through his human face. His eyes got that occasionally when the full moon got close, but it was still weeks away. So what explanation did he have to give himself? …nothing…

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Kairi paced through the halls in front of the DADA classroom. Her thoughts went back to the day before, just after breakfast. She still hadn't told him she was a werewolf, hell, she hadn't even told him that she knew he was; and as she paced, she tried to think of how she was going to.

Any properly schooled witch or wizard knows that the only thing a werewolf cannot resist is the call of another werewolf, and she knew somewhere deep inside her, that _that _was the reason for the attraction between them. It was just the wolves trying to connect with one another. He was trying to establish dominance.

There were no real feelings between them. Just bare animal instincts. She tried not to blush as she thought of maybe just not telling him and letting the charade go on. It was fun to have someone tripping over himself around her.

_**Remus is just so different than**- _Kairi's thoughts were interrupted by the bell ringing, signaling the end of class. She stepped back as the door flew open and the students came pouring out.

She waited patiently as the class emptied and the students ran off to lunch talking excitedly about whatever lesson Remus had just taught them.

She smiled and rounded the corner and spied him across the room closing the door on a hefty cupboard. He magically sealed it muttering to himself incoherently.

**_So that's what those third years were so excited about._ **She wondered as she watched him. He puttered around his room cleaning up from the aftermath of the class. She silently slipped into a desk in the back of the classroom and had to stifle a giggle when he finally turned around and spotted her.

He nearly jumped a good foot in the air and Kairi lost it. She just out and laughed at him, gripping her sides in an effect to shut herself up. Wouldn't want to embarrass the poor guy too much.

_**Oh what the hell. Why not?** _"You know you pitter around your classroom like an old housewife?" She gestured around his room to the meticulous way he had cleaned it after the students had left.

Remus smiled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He hadn't realized he was such a neat freak. It had to be from watching Molly Weasley so much at Grimmauld Place. She was always cleaning, and apparently that had rubbed off on him a bit.

Kairi stood from her chair and walked over to him. He suddenly got the feeling the direction of the conversation was about to take a drastic turn. She must have noticed the change in him because she stopped halfway across the room and the almost predatory look in her eyes took on a more somber feel.

He tensed as the loose feeling in the room dissipated. "Kairi- Ms. Faye,"

That one hurt. He just called her by her surname. Not a god sign. Kairi momentarily panicked. Just for a split second. She was going to be turned out before anything could even happen. She didn't want to be alone again. Not after the last time. Not after him.

Her eyes never betrayed a thing. She had excellent practice at hiding her emotions after living in an environment where they could be used against you. Where you were beaten for them. Outside, she probably looked the picture of calm, but inside, she was screaming.

"About yesterday," Her eyes glinted dangerously, some of her emotions trickling through. He caught it, his voice softened. "I think I need to apologize for putting you on the spot like that. I know my actions were highly innapro-"

Kairi's jaw dropped. _**He feels guilty?** _Suddenly it felt like a huge weight was dropped off her shoulders. Then she coughed to reign herself in.** _Now who is acting inappropriate?_**She almost laughed and waved him off.

Remus looked at her questioningly. Obviously having expected some sort of reprimand or even a slap. But a laugh? He cocked his head to the side, letting his thick brown hair cascade over his eyes in a way he used to do to his mother to get his way. From experience with girls, he knew it made him look adorable. Kairi just laughed harder.

**_I've never seen a werewolf look more like a helpless puppy. Priceless…_**

Remus was beginning to think this woman had a few issues to work through when she calmed down and apologized.

"I'm sorry, that's just not what I was expecting you to say," she put her hand on his shoulder as if to hold herself up.

"What were you expecting?" He asked curiously.

She just grinned at him waving her hand in dismissal. "Nothing, but consider your apology almost accepted,"

"Almost?" She cocked his head again not sure where this was going. He had apologized, what more did she want?

"How about this, Professor, tomorrow is the first Hogsmeade weekend. You take me to lunch, and we'll call it even." She winked at him mischievously, a plan already forming in her mind.

There was something about that look that unnerved him, but he agreed without any argument and Kairi nodded to him taking her leave.

Once she was back out in the hallway she mentally hugged herself. _**What better way to tell him about being a werewolf, than over a nice warm butterbeer?** _

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Dumbledore hovered again over his pensive. His dark office held a (deleted dark) sense of foreboding. He gazed into the strange waters and sighed. He still didn't understand it. He couldn't, for all his wisdom, make out what was going on in his mind, or in his school. But there was something.

His hands gripped the smooth wood of his desk as he tried to collect his thoughts. His mind was about as calm as a hippogriff after it has just been insulted.

Dumbledore pressed the tip of his wand to his temple and slowly withdrew the memory in question; or rather, the dream. He let it sink silently into the bowl and he prodded it with his wand.

The material in the bowl began to swirl and dance, the colors flashing vibrantly. For a moment Dumbledore wanted to turn away again. To not see what he was about to have to face.

As the colors in the dish finally stopped swirling, Dumbledore peered over the side to watch his dream play out in front of him, even broken and severely incomplete as it was. The dream continued to reveal itself in short, severed flashes each night. Sometimes it took several nights to comprehend a particular bit, since he had to wait for it to fill out to see it properly. It was very frustrating, indeed. But what he saw had continued to disturb him since they first started weeks ago, and that was enough to keep him thinking and worrying about them.

He saw blood; and that was all at first. Just warm thick blood covering his vision. It was almost black with the night pressing around the vision. This was the first image, and as such, it was the most clear. The metallic stench filled his nostrils as he looked.

Then slowly, the dream filled out. It was, at this point, far from complete; and that fact worried him desperately.

Lightning flashed, illuminating his vision. All he saw were fangs, bright and gleaming in the light provided by the flash. He knew, of course, that something had to be attached to them, but at this point trying to decipher what was out of the question. Thunder crashed, and he saw blood again, dripping off the teeth. In the cold darkness he heard a scream, muffled only slightly by the pounding rain he just at that moment noticed. It pounded down around him and made him shiver with the cold of it. He was sure it was just the dream, but the rain felt like liquid despair.

Then he saw her. An element to his dream he had never seen before, and the newest piece of his puzzle.

A tiny, blond girl.

Something inside Dumbledore snapped as he looked at her unmoving form. She lay there face down in the mud, blood washing off her form with the pounding rain. She was so young, he wondered how the world, even in just a dream, could be so cruel as to allow one so young to die.

The image lasted only a second, as did all the others, but this one burned into his mind as clearly as if he would always see it, just behind his eyelids. Lightning flashed again and he shut his eyes against the brightness of it.

He pulled out of the pensive with a dazed look in his eyes. This was exactly what he feared. If his dreams were prophetic…someone else was going to die at Hogwarts School. Somewhere far off in the distance, thunder clapped violently.

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Rebecca Moss sat in her room late that night, fully awake despite the snoring of her classmates. Sure, she could pull the drapes shut and put a silencing charm on them, but she wanted them open to look at the stars out of her window.

She sighed heavily as the cool night breeze blew in and caressed her cheek in an effort to dry the tears that stained them. She reached under her bed and pulled out a small mangled teddy-bear. She clutched it to her chest, and reached under her bed again. This time she pulled out a small silver framed picture.

It was at these moments that Rebecca was glad for the hangings on the beds. She didn't know what she would do if her roommates found out she still slept with a stuffed animal. Lots of kids had pictures of their parents though, so that didn't worry her. The bear on the other hand, was a serious liability.

Rebecca wiped her big blue eyes and looked at her parents. Her mother was beautiful; long silky looking blond hair and eyes she passed on to her daughter. Her father was a little gruff looking but he had a brilliant smile.

Rebecca traced her mother's smile with her fingertips, feeling the cool glass underneath them. She was trying to remember her, with all her might when a noise behind her startled her and she thrust the picture under her pillow, clutching her teddy.

"H-hello?" Rebecca looked around her room for the source of the disturbance, but found none.

**_There it is again…_** She whipped her head around to face out the window. The night was dark and the sky was unforgiving. A storm was rolling in from the distance; its ominous clouds already promised heavy rain and thunder for the days to come. The thought made her smile.

Then something caught her eye.

**_There, at the edge of the forest. _**A large dark shape was moving around. She clutched her teddy to her chest tightly, and shut her eyes against the thing before her mind could make sense of it. Rebecca had always had a problem with nightmares and would usually shut out an image rather than face it for fear it would haunt her dreams.

Reaching out with one tiny hand, she shut her curtains against the window and opened them up on the opposite side. She slid out of bed and tiptoed out of her dormitory with the intention of heading down to the common room.

When Rebecca peeked around the corner she was startled to see three people already down there. In fact, she recognized them as Harry, Ron and Hermione. This eased her a little and she padded silently down the stairs to see if she could talk to them.

Whether they knew it or not, most of the younger students looked up to the trio with great respect. Rebecca did too, though she was more interested in being like Hermione than she was with the other two. Hermione was after all, the brains behind everything.

She walked softly on the carpet towards them, not sure what she was going to say when she got there and she didn't want them to see her until she was.

She had almost reached the back of the couch when Ron and Hermione stood and walked out of the portrait hole without a word.

Rebecca stood there dumbfounded, her teddy bear still held in one hand dangled limply at her side.

Harry got off the couch, stretching and yawning, when he saw Rebecca, he smiled.

"What are you doing still awake?" He eyed her bear with amusement. She must have noticed, too, because she shifted it behind her, blushing deeply. Harry's grin widened.

"I- um, couldn't sleep," she said, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

Harry ran a hand through his tousled hair and sighed. "You really need to get to bed, it's after midnight."

"Then what are Ron and Hermione doing out of bed?"

Harry shot a glance towards the portrait when his best friends had indeed just gone. **_How long has she been standing there? _**He quickly thought up an answer that would satisfy her, "They are prefect and Head Girl. They just went to make sure no one else 'couldn't sleep'.

The first year's eyes went wide in mock fear. "I guess I should probably get back to bed then, huh?"

Harry watched her scamper back up the staircase and waited for the sound of her dormitory door shutting to exit the portrait hole himself.

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**(A/N) **Well, like I said, this was a really discouraging chapter for me. I hit poor Remus in in the face with a sledgehammer for crying out loud. Lol. So do me a favor, you see that little button that says "Submit Review?" click it. Keep me going. Oh and please ignore the zeros. For some f'd up reason, FanFiction isn't letting me put in the dividers. So deal.


	10. Autumn Leaves

**_Hey guys! Its Your frendily neighborhood Lupa! Sorry it had been so dreadfully long since my last update... i could throw some excuses... tell you long stories about work and school and guys and drama... but instead im going to blow some smoke up your ass about anticipation making the chapter all the sweeter. Ha. _**

**_...anyway, enjoy._**

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Chapter Ten:

Autumn Leaves

"_If you spend your whole life worrying about what was or could be, you will miss out on what really is"_

_-Me_

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The sunlight sparkled on the morning dew where it clung to the fallen autumn leaves. Their bright orange and red colors stood out strongly against the black of the students' robes as they milled about Hogsmeade for the first time this term.

Hermione groaned in anguish as Harry, whom she was now sure had lost his mind in the death of his godfather, was rolling about in the leaves with one Ronald Weasely in the combined shadows of an enormous red oak and the Shrieking Shack.

She had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing as they made "leaf angels" and waved at her to join them.

Laughing would mean admitting that what they were doing looked like fun and not just ridiculous, nonsensical behavior. So, of course she complied and doubled over in side splitting-laughter.

She ran over to them, her robes billowing behind her, and flopped down between the boys not caring who saw her acting so undignified. She was the brightest witch in her year. Brilliant people are allowed to be strange.

They were a ways away from the bustling of Hogsmeade at any rate, as few students ventured this far over.

Their tiff about Remus had been forgotten, for the moment at least, in a flurry of candy eating and butterbeer drinking.

Last night had been the first night in a long time the three had snuck out of bed to do nothing of importance. And the effects had been miraculous. They had gone down to the kitchens and stuffed themselves silly, sending the house elves into a frenzy with requests for butterbeer, truffles, and other such nonsense. The night had served its purpose of relieving the stress their sixth year and the ever darkening times had already begun to impose on them. And not even on them, themselves, but on their friendships.

Ron and Harry had finally convinced Hermione that Professor Lupin could look after himself, and she grudgingly had agreed, though under the strict terms that they would reconsider if anything got out of hand. Merlin knew that someone at some point would try to push him too far.

Now, in the morning light and a pile of leaves, the golden trio was acting like that argument had never happened. If only they had realized what a good night of debauchery with ones friends could do for them back in the days of Lupin's first year there; when Ron and Hermione nearly killed one another over a stupid rat. Who knew the ultimate solution lay within getting smashed and passing out with your good friends?

Hermione threw her arms around her friends as they lie there in the leaves; Ron on one side, and Harry on the other. They looked up together at the Shrieking Shack and Hermione forced herself not to pity the poor professor she knew cased himself inside it once a month. She wondered how long it would take everyone else to figure it out. Not everyone in the school was a complete dunderhead. They already knew he was a werewolf. It was only a matter of time until someone got brave and sought him out during his transformation. Some sick adrenaline junkie or maybe even Colin Creevey with his infamous camera. Anything was possible.

Hermione tore her gaze away from the shack and from thoughts of Remus' well being and rested her forehead on Harry's shoulder. She thought back to when times were simpler. Back in her first years at Hogwarts when all she worried about was her grades. Back when the fear Voldemort was not quite as pressing on her mind. Back when Harry and Snape's endless quarreling and the constant removal of points from houses was the most worrisome thing in her life.

Hermione heard Ron rustling in the leaves behind her, then there was a rather fake cough and he raised himself from the ground.

The three all looked over at the shack and sighed. Memories of Sirius came back in sharp relief. Hermione felt them, though she wasn't feeling them herself, as she looked down at the ring on her finger. It was a deep storming blue. Harry looked at them with a fake smile plastered on his face and her finger twitched again. When she looked down, the storm inside the ring was getting worse, and the lightning flashing through it was orange. Harry was hiding something from them. Harry stood and his hands to the two of them. Hermione assumed he was hiding something from them because it had to do with Sirius and he didn't want to talk about it. The second she thought that, the twitching in her finger ceased. She shot Ron a look to see if he had noticed, he was looking and her and the ring curiously, but before he could open his mouth to voice the opinion she decided that a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks would be a fabulous idea.

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Remus busied himself with watching the students roaming the town so that he could ignore the woman walking beside him. She regarded the village with the same interest that she gave Diagon Alley when she first entered it. Though some of the ridiculous school girl excitement had faded. For the best, it made him feel like an old man not to be impressed with the magic of the village anymore. They perused bookstores and joke shops all the while talking about nothing in particular.

He tried making polite conversation by asking about her family, she got quiet and changed the subject. He had wanted to nose about but he figured it wasn't his place since he wouldn't offer up any information about his family either. He sighed, not knowing what to say next.

She noticed his quiet discomfort and nudged him laughingly into the Three Broomsticks. Their intent was to have a drink, after all.

Kairi plopped herself down at a table and took a healthy swig of butterbeer once it was delivered. Who cared that this stuff had a negligible amount of alcohol in it? It was good.

Remus took a sip of his own as he studied her. They had talked about everything from books to weather to students and the war. The latter of which had sent her into a frenzy. She had ranted for a good half hour about the war and spat Voldemort's name out with such anger that the twitch of fear that followed it was greatly shadowed.

"And now he is using werewolves to do his bidding! It's disgusting, how they bend to him," She had stopped herself then and looked at him, shame in her eyes.

He looked her over, wanting to agree but not able to make himself form the words. _That struck a little closer to home than she realized. _He mused to himself.

Nervously she grasped at her arm and shifted in her chair.

Remus took another swig of butterbeer remembering the strangeness in that look.

Kairi looked up at him. She had wanted to tell him all day. It had seemed such an easy thing in her head, 'I'm a werewolf', but the reality of it made it hard. Being a werewolf was a big issue. Some werewolves preferred to be left alone, even got territorial, what if he was one of those? She looked at his smiling face as they talked about his young days at Hogwarts and couldn't imagine him ever looking at her with anger.

Flashes of dark rooms and claws danced for a second behind her eyes and the memories were so vivid that pain lanced through her arm and something deep inside her growled. She would never allow that to happen again. She was a stronger person. Remus was different.

"Remus, I've wanted to tell you all day-" She stopped short at the look on his face.

Remus had seen that flash behind her eyes, recognized the fear there, smelt it on her and he had snarled protectively. He almost thought he heard her growl back but the look on her face when her eyes went dark… it had sent shivers through him that made him almost happy she hadn't wanted to share her past. There was something dark and twisted hidden there.

He snapped back into focus when he realized she was talking.

"Remus… are you listening?" She laughed. All traces of that dark pain gone from her face like a slate wiped clean.

He nodded and smiled.

Kairi decided telling him would work best like ripping off a band-aid, just do it quick and deal with the aftereffects. "Good, because I've been trying to tell you all day I'm a…"

The last of her sentence was drowned out in a cheering from behind her.

The golden trio had just waltzed into the doors of the pub, and they were glowing from the rosy cheeks and smiling faces, to the leaves stuck in Hermione's hair. The three of them had spotted their two teachers sitting together and had decided to come up and sit with them.

Remus looked into Kairi's eyes and caught the, "It'll have to wait" look. He just sighed and turned to the trio for a chat.

Kairi sat back in her chair while the four of them talked. Her disappointment was evident; she had everything planned out in her mind. After she dropped the bomb of course, she had a little speech of confession ending in a friend she could run with and hunt with every full moon. Of course it couldn't go as planned. Oh no.

She laughed a little then started slightly when she realized the students had been trying to talk to her.

'_Infamous Harry Potter, nothing like I pictured…' _Sure she had seen pictures of the Boy-Who-Lived, but the image she had built up in her mind was of a man… Harry Potter was still so young to have faced so much. This was a boy to be protected and believed in. She could smell greatness on him. If only she could see how someone so small would be able to destroy the Dark Lord.

Before she knew it, she was heading back up to the castle with the falling rays of the sun cascading around her shoulders stretching her shadow out impossibly tall.

After seeing the last of the students into their dorms, Remus turned in the direction of his office.

She hesitated for a moment, knowing the evening had drawn to a close, but she was determined to tell him before she lost her nerve. She didn't know exactly why she was so determined to tell him, it just felt like something she needed to do. Though with a giggle she realized it probably had a lot to do with the simple fact that he was another werewolf and she was tired of being so alone.

"Kairi?" His eyes shone with innocence and he reached out a hand in offering.

She smiled and took it, letting him lead her towards another quiet place.

It felt natural to walk with her hand in his. The slight tingle that shot through her skin at the contact only added to the excitement of the evening.

He chatted mindlessly about something, his days at Hogwarts she was sure, and how his mother was always sick, and she was content to just listen. His voice was so soothing, and the tingle in her arm was so warm.

She knew the way to his office without looking, she could smell him there just as well as she could smell him standing next to her.

"Alright, so now what was it you wanted to tell me?" He pushed open the door to his office just as a sharp pain shot through her arm, causing her to cry out. She jerked away from him, clutching her arm, eyes wide and frightened.

Remus looked at her for a moment his question forgotten as her eyes frantically scanned his office over before falling on his desk. Her eyes narrowed and what could only be understood as a snarl escaped her lips.

He turned in slow motion, not knowing what she could have seen to set her off like that. What he saw on the corner of his desk first relieved him then filled him with such mortification he did not even want to know what was going through her mind; it was a slightly smoking silver goblet.

"How _dare _you." The words fell like venom and burned his skin.

She stalked across the room; her inexplicable anger at the world suddenly finding a perfect scapegoat in Remus and his bloody potion.

He slunk back from her, not knowing what to say. Not knowing what he _could _say to wipe that look from her eyes.

"Kairi, I…" he tried to find words. This is most certainly not how he would have wanted her to find out he was a werewolf. He picked up the goblet, wanting to drink it and show her he was at least taking steps to make himself safe. _'__**I wouldn't hurt a fly, see?**__'_

"You're just like _them!" _She shouted at him and knocked the potion from his hands. Remus flinched at those words. They stung more than she could have known. He had been "one of them" almost all his life. He turned his eyes down to where the deep blood red of the potion seeped across his floors. His shame played across his face.

"You're just like them. Like Dumbledore and Severus and the ministry!"

Remus' head snapped back up, "Wha-"

"How can you do that to yourself?" She gripped her arms as if cold, and seemed to tremble slightly.

"Kairi what are-"

"You were supposed to be different! How can you do that to yourself?" Tears formed at the corners of her vision and Kairi felt herself stop dead. Remus reached out her, confusion playing across his face, and she turned tail and fled.

Remus stood there for a moment thinking two entirely different conversations had just taken place before he followed her.

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Harry strode across the Quidditch pitch with Ron and Ginny to get a jump on this year's practice. His heart was pounding as it always did right before he got back on a broom after a long summer. Quidditch was one of the things he looked forward to most as a student at Hogwarts; the sound of the crowds, the tension building as the match drug on, the feel of the wind and the flutter of the snitch when you wrapped your fingers around it before it gave up and submitted to being caught, every second was something to be savored.

Harry grasped his Firebolt tightly in his hands and felt the smooth wood under his fingers. He mounted the broom and, just as was common before he kicked off he had a moment to let the fear that nothing would happen course through him, and then he was in the air.

He felt Ginny and Ron rise next to him, but he was gone. Up and up, faster and faster. The wind blew through his hair and stung his face, but none of it mattered like that feeling of being free. He set his sights on the goal posts on the opposite end of the field and rocketed towards them. He imagined himself diving for the snitch, catching it to the roar of the crowds. Then something smashed into his side.

He rolled and caught himself from falling. His assailant chuckled an apology from somewhere over to his left.

"Sorry about that, Potter." Draco Malfoy sat cheerfully on his Nimbus 2001 a cocky smile spreading across his face.

Another Slytherin Harry recognized as Blaise Zabini rose next to him followed by the usual entourage, Crabbe and Goyle.

Ron and Ginny came up behind them, everyone tensed for a fight.

"Sheesh Potter, don't get your panties all in a bunch, the field s plenty big enough for the six of us." He tossed the quaffle to Ginny who caught it with a jolt and stared at him.

Harry stared at his archrival too as the pale boy smirked again.

"What kind of practice did you honestly hope to achieve with just the three of you anyway?"

"You, want to practice with us?" Ron stuttered.

"Yeah? What's so wrong with that? We're bored and this looked like more fun than some of the things we were trying to come up with back in the castle before we saw you guys walk out here." Blaise Zabini said with a much more innocent seeming smirk than was still playing across the face of his friend.

Somewhere down below him, Harry heard Hermione release the bludgers.

"Alright then," Harry said. "Why not?"

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Remus followed the billowing of robes around the twists and turns of the castle he knew by heart. He had absolutely no idea what had happened in his office but it was more than the call of a chase that had him after her. His potion lie forgotten on the floor of his office and the possible repercussions of not taking it had not even begun to sink in yet. All he knew was that he had to catch her. Nothing else mattered.

Kairi hit the door of the castle with the force of a train. The door flung open and she spilled down the steps and landed in a heap on the grass. She looked up, the tears in her eyes blurred her vision and her anger made her reckless, but when she saw the moon, even so small as it was almost not there at all, her wolf took control.

She stood from the grass, the crying and the shaking was over. Her body pulsed with anticipation for the change. Kairi took off across the grass, her eyes set on the edge of the forbidden forest.

Remus paused for a brief second after her spill down the steps. First he had thought the chase was over, and then he noticed the change in her, smelled in on her somehow despite the thinness of the moon. His caution almost got the better of him. But when that calm demeanor shifted and she bolted again, his instincts forced him to give chase again. He didn't know what he would say to her when he caught her. She knew now that he was a werewolf. She saw him as a monster. He should stop. Leave her alone. But then he saw her hit the woods.

The second Kairi felt the cover the thick trees of the forest provided, she let her wolf loose. Bones shifted, skin shrank and expanded and clothes she hadn't bothered to take off ripped to shreds. Claws came out of shapely fingers not yet shrunk into paws.

Fur sprung up all over her body in deep shades of red and brown. The whole process took barely 45 seconds and when amber eyes turned to meet steel gray, something deep inside Remus snapped, and Kairi ran. Everything would disappear if she could run far enough.

She hadn't wanted him to see her change. She had wanted him to be different.

He takes wolfsbane.

He is ashamed of what he is.

She stalled for a moment in her flight to howl again, in lament for her own loneliness.

A growl came from behind her a moment before he was on her. He pinned her to the ground and held her there with ease; something that should have been impossible since she was in her wolf form and he was still human. But there he was, and he was managing quite well. She woofed and snarled and howled and struggled, and he held her down, ran his hands through her fur, and whispered soothing things in her ears.

He looked her in the eyes, and this time amber met molten gold. Remus willed her to change back as he ran fingers through her impossibly smooth fur. The animal in him wanted her just like that, but since he had only forgotten his potion tonight and the moon was nowhere near full, his beast remained caged. So he willed her to become human. He felt his wolf reach out and brush against hers, and he reached out and grabbed her human.

Kairi whimpered, not sure what was happening then her wolf was simply gone. It curled back up inside her and went to sleep, the fur melted from her skin like dry water just rolling off her body leaving her lying naked in Remus' arms.

Remus looked down at her, panting in his arms, and then he kissed her. Kairi curled up against him, desperate for the contact. He ran hands that scorched like fire down her back just as he had through her fur. Kairi wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him deeper. It wasn't enough, it would never be enough.

She tore at his clothes, shredding them in her urgency. He grabbed her hands and pinned them up above her head, with a rough growl.

Part of Kairi struggled again, not wanting to be defenseless, but the other part of her loved how powerless it made her feel.

Remus struggled to get ahold of himself. His wolf fought to break the surface and ravage the girl under him, but Remus held it down. Her fighting and whimpering was only exciting the wolf in him and it made it very hard to remember why she had been running from him, why she was so upset.

Kairi wriggled one of her hands free and clawed down his back and his eyes went just a little cloudy. Remus recaptured the hand and pinned both of her wrists together with one of his own. The other he used to spread her legs.

Kairi whimpered again and tried to rise to meet him, but Remus held her down. When he looked down at her there was a fire in those golden eyes she had never seen directed at her from any man. The raw lust there was almost overwhelming.

She tried to buck against him, wondering what was taking him so long, when she felt his hot breath on her neck.

"Kairi, I want to make sure you are in there when I fuck you." He nibbled at her ear. "I want both you and your wolf to still trust me in the morning."

Kairi nodded and moaned when he slipped just his tip inside her. He waited an eternity for her to protest, to back out, then he drove himself inside her and his world went black.

She sensed a change in him, but the sheer rough feeling of him inside her drove any questions from her mind. He groaned and looked down at her, but Kairi didn't see anything of Remus in those eyes. The body may have been human, but the mind was all wolf.

She felt the warmth and promise spreading between her legs and cried out under him. His thrusts became more urgent and she heard him moaning softly. She had barely started coming back down to earth again when he thrust into her one final time, gripping her hips so tightly she was sure to have bruises and her earth shattered. The world was gone in a cloud of feelings and tastes.

She vaguely felt him collapse on top of her and kiss her neck, but she was floating somewhere her mind so clouded and her body so relaxed, she simply fell asleep there with him still gloved inside her, lying on the floor of the Forbidden Forest.

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Kairi woke in the middle of the night with a sharp jolt. She panicked for a moment before recognizing who she was with. She was still at Hogwarts, she was still safe. She looked lovingly down at Remus' sleeping body where he lay nestled against her. His chest rose and fell and each exhale across her chest and neck made her want to giggle. She lifted a hand to brush the hair out of his face and it caught her eye. That wretched black thing burned into her skin so long ago. She covered it with her other hand but the image was as much in her mind as on her skin. The curling of the snake from the eyes of the skull were a strong reminder that she had made mistakes, mistakes that had cost lives and cost Kairi her innocence.

She had been in love once before, and had followed him into the belly of the Dark Lord. She had thought he would protect her. She had thought it would be like having a family.

She hadn't known… hadn't understood…

Kairi untangled herself from Remus and stood looking towards the castle. She had to tell herself she was safe here. Dumbledore had promised she would be safe here.

Then her arm started burning. She clutched it to her chest, her heart pounding in her throat. Fear shot through her as she cast one last look at Remus then bolted for the castle.

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So Kairi seems to do a lot of running around in ths chapter. Anyway, there you go. Hopefully it wont be as long until the next one. Check out my forum if i take too long. I'm always up for a nudge.


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